























Daniel Faith 


A Story in Cantos 


By 

GENERAL EDGAR DUPREE, A.M.,Th.M. 


G. E. DUPREE, 
SUMMITV1LLE, INDIANA 









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Copyright 1924 
by 

G. E. DUPREE 



JUL -9 '24 


£ 

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1 respectfully dedicate this poem to my Father 
and Mother , and to all •who have a 
True Faith in our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 


As fear doth flee when hearts awake 
in songs, so faith is stronger when it is 
tested by truth and error. 

Daniel Faith hears every argument at¬ 
tentively, believing that truth will with¬ 
stand all error. 

He believes that God is the source of 
all truth, and that Jesus came to teach 
man the truth about God. 

He believes that science and true scien¬ 
tific investigation will lead us into 
deeper, fuller, and richer truths about 
God. 


CANTO I. 

Argument. 

One day I wandered o’er my chosen hill 
At morning time, when all anew 
Declares the glory of the day. 

The dreamness of the night had left 
Mine eyes as ’mid the morning light 
I moved my feet on God’s enchanted ground. 

It seemed that music fell from off the wings 
Of distant singing years; perchance 
It was a dream, but should man dream 
When years are crying out their great refrain? 
Or in amazement stand both deaf and dumb? 

Or is it true that eyes are made to see 
And ears are made to hear? 

There fell to earth from sunny wings of morn 
A great refrain, which wafted like a cloud, 

And hurled itself in rhythmic ecstacy; 

While melodies arose and fell and scattered far, 
And touched the toughened, stubborn, 

Human heart with vibrant tones, 

Effulgent in their blend—such music 
As would fall from Heaven’s throne. 

But who should dare to speak a mystery? 

Is everything on earth for man to know? 

Has God decreed that man should conquer all ? 
God set no bounds for men, man makes his own— 
Man buries often all that God hath given! 
Omnipotence doth speak in mind’s decree— 
Heaven’s will doth call our stumbling minds 
To higher bounds, to greater truths. 

As like a plato dreams in worlds of thought 


6 


Daniel Faith. 


When truth doth seem to cry in agony; 

So Error comes with all his mighty host 
That truth may weep but never have her say. 
There rises on yon far and distant sound 
A voice as though a greater Plato speaks again! 
Let Error crouch around the lightened door, 

For truth shall rise on swifter, burning wings. 
God hath decreed a great eternal law, 

That Truth shall overcome while Error fails. 

Behold one standing on my morning path! 
Who can it be? For what errand come? 

His face doth shine as one in fullest peace— 

He stands in wait for my coming forth! 

Ho, shall we dare encrouch to Squire his will, 

Or know the motive of his coming here? 

The right of solitude shall we molest 
In prying in the ’fairs of other men? 

He beckons come—somewhat he has to say! 
Arise, my heart! whatever is the need, 

Pulsate with quickened force— 

Be not disturbed with every pulse’s change— 

If argumept shall come, 0 stimulate 
My brain with vigorous force! 

What is the need of fervent argument? 

Shall I molest a mind with different thought 
Than is mine own? Indeed ’tis bold! 

But still ’tis bold for man to question me! 

Thus I shall meet him gladly to exchange 
My views for all his own. Who knoweth 
What new wisdom we may meet, 

Or into what new trends our thoughts may turn ? 
With open mind I’ll hear his views set forth, 

If he doth stand in wait for argument. 


Daniel Faith. 


7 


I’ll hear him reason in high reason’s laws, 

If these he knows to use in his discourse; 

I ’ll tarry all this day if he doth speak 
In fluent words, or in poetic song. 

My soul’s athirst to know philosophy 
And thinking of all thinking minds. 

Let all the truth arise and live 
Through all eternal years; yea more, 

While truth shall live, let error fail! 

Let crumble every error with the false, 

And may we live to join the song 
In vict’ry over Error’s power! 

Forthwith I came 
To where the stranger stood. 

In salutation of the morn I spake, 

And with the same in smile he greeted me. 

I saw no trace of all my questioning; 

He stood serenely poised in dignity. 

The morning seemed to fill his heart aglow 
With all the buoyancy of day. 

Therewith I questioned him to further know 
Of how he fared and of life’s pilgrimage. 

And as a lightning flash in summer’s night, 
When clouds are thick and deep on western wind, 
I saw his soul arise in quickened power, 

And he did talk of greatest mysteries 
Concerning learned minds and wise philosophy. 
Such wisdom fell from his learned lips 
As never heard from mortal man. 

Shall I dare who am the least of least 
To give you wisdom from a learned mind? 

I bow my face submissive to the Holy One, 
Whose wisdom doth transcend all mortal men. 


8 


Daniel Faith. 


I claim my portion of man*s weakness here, 

In this life; I would not hide 

Or turn from-out your sight one little fear; 

But rather I would speak on greater themes— 

Such themes that higher lift our feet 

And further lift our eyes from natural things. 


CANTO II. 

Argument. 

0 memory, in this mystic wandering, 

When hope is thrown in every mortal stream, 
When faith is wrestling with each rising wind, 
When God would speak, but in our narrow fields 
We do not hear, we cannot comprehend, 

Be true to all the discourse I have heard! 

O Bard of yore, with ancient charming songs, 
Awake and sing! Let music charm 
Our thirsty, parching souls; 

Let music lift us to a fuller path; 

Let music drive our false deluded fears away, 
As morning drives away the dismal night! 

0 Bard, we need thy songs; so sing again! 

We need a song for searching, peering minds; 
We need a song on high exalted wings, 

That falls from Heaven’s gate 
To deepest pits of mental agony. 

The failures in our quest for truth, 

And where ambitions fail, 

0, sing to us the truth in song! 

And may we hear the great enchanted strains 
Of music fall from thy melodies. 


Daniel Faith. 


9 


O, teach us how to live and how to sing, 

That we may join with Heaven in our song; 
Lift the shadows from our tender eyes; 

Tear the veil of ignorance from our hearts; 

And teach thy children in their wandering 
The secrets of the muses mind to sing! 

Vouschafe that one in youthful years, 

Whom men would say in years of tenderness, 
May sing with liberty before the throne 
Where Muses dwell in constant ecstacy. 

0 Bard! Be thou my guide, keep thou my feet, 
And be my earthly company— 

Walk with me by the rivers, o’er the hills, 

At early morn and in the sunny eve, 

And let me see as thou wouldst see, 

Quicken every darkened isle of life, 

While estuaries burst from dormant will 
Of brightest hope and sweetest song; 

And may thy presence be a constant guide 
To vindicate thy song and mysteries! 

Do t'hou recall the records of the past, 

That memory may fully testify 
To him who set the argument in song, 

And versed the cantos that I’ll here repeat: 

‘ ‘ ’Tis my delight/ ’ forthwith he did reply— 
Daniel Faith, a man of many years— 

‘ ‘ In great delight and greatest joy to me 
Concerning thoughts of life I often speak: 

Of life’s pilgrimage and journeying, 

And of our mortal life now in we live. 

I find my life aglow with Heaven’s gift 
Of faith, angelic food, which seems to fall 
From Heaven’s high domain. 


10 


Daniel Faith. 


No sweeter manna ever fell in ancient days 
When all the host of Israel dwelt 
In parching deserts in the wilderness. 

Proclaim the joy on every wind of Heaven, 

Ye Heavenly Host! May Wisdom speak! 
May wisdom everywhere arise to crown 
Our faith, the one eternal law 
Wherein we know that God doth speak to man. 
Resplendent in its light from Heaven’s throne, 
And as a nectar sweet from living streams, 

Or as ambrosial food for hungering, 

So is this faith whereof I speak. 

“No restraint hath ever been imposed— 
God wills the best, the highest of all laws, 

The fullest measures of His grace divine, 

And perfect art in all its finished laws. 
Recount the beauty of your wandering! 

But man in quest of light, whereof he failed 
And stands delusioned in his own behest, 

In saddened awe and mystic garbs of fear, 
Shall never rise ’neath all his fancies here! 

‘‘As a shepherd sounds his morning call, 
While the echoes bound from hill to. hill, 

So God has sent one eternal sound, 

That men are dying, dying everywhere. 

Hear the echoes surging o’er life’s vail: 
Climbing, bounding, leaping—in their force, 
Ringing, chanting to another day, 

As God had spoken early in this morn! 

Men are bowing to the shocking call, 

Frail, deluded, in their mighty fears, 

Losing all the best that life doth hold, 

To hold accounts against the inevitable. 


Daniel Faith. 


11 


But who hath mind so keen and strong to change 
The laws of birth or human life! 

Embryonic in his coming forth, 

Man doth find himself a slave to natural laws, 
Helpless in his broken will to change 
The qualities of flesh and destiny. 

But even in his days so quickly lived 
Wisdom breaks and gushes from man’s heart, 

And shocking vibrant sounds from Heaven’s throne 
Falls upon his ears to guide his feet. 

“Error’s force, in all its wild array, 

Has broken with eternal laws of Heaven, 

As man in vaunted pride and vain dismay 
Exploits the secret vaults of Heaven’s will. 

Who shall dare again to prophesy! 

To what avail to thee would singing be! 

Why should I wear away this day in argument, 
Shall either bettered be when day is done!” 


CANTO III. 

Argument. 

So finished Daniel Faith his first discourse, 

In what did seem a moment of the day. 

I did not comprehend the last he said, 

And so I queered to further know his thought: 

“Delight me with the thinking of your mind, 
Thy thought is trained and ready to command 
Attention in thy chosen thought; so speak 
Concerning what is uppermost to thee! 

What is thy thought concerning faith in God! 
Shall man disprove it with wisdom of our day!” 


12 


Daniel Faith. 


Therewith he did reply with quickened thought, 
With fuller accent in his sturdy voice, 

While deep emotions seemed to hide themselves: 

“Faith is a force that every man may prove! 
Heaven’s Son, yea God’s immortal love, 

Did live a faith unquestioned in our day. 

His faith was wide, such wideness never known, 

And deep and high, as from the throne of God 
It fell to lift his weary feet. 

He touched the sightless eyes that they might see, 
And drave away the deafness from men’s ears, 

He healed the palsied from their trembling, 

And stilled the wildest tempest on the sea. 

How full, how great, how boundless in his love, 

The infinite of infinite, 

O wondrous Heaven’s gift! show forth 
Thy light, speak to us in our tears, 

Declare Thy glory once again, 

That men may ever know that Thou art God. 

Our follies oft deny our richest thought; 

Sometimes our theories lead us far amiss, 

We backward track into the dark chaos 
And never find again the wasting light. 

“A faith that falls from Heaven’s open gate 
Is strong enough to stem the darkest wave 
Arising from the bubbles of our mind. 

Look up ye fainting hearts and hear anew 

The grand decrees that soundeth forth from Heaven 

Man has not perished in his wandering, 

Though famished in his wild and lonely cries, 
Discouraged in his task and thoughtless course, 
’Twould better be if failure full appeared. 

But in this anguish from his lonely cries 


Daniel Faith. 


13 


Appeareth strongly signs of change. 

I wandered once across a desert wide, 

Beneath a far flung autumn western sky, 

Where shepherds watched their mighty host of sheep. 
I saw a flock all scattered o’er a field 
And crying in their lonely wandering. 

No voice was there to lead or call them, ‘Come!’ 

And he with whom I rode to me explained 
That on the yesterday at early morn 
Their shepherd lost his life in daring fight 
With a vicious bull. Said he, 

‘This flock will rove for many days, 

Till one doth come to care for them, 

And they have learned his voice’. 

Man wanders now without a shepherd’s voice, 

And so must find his way before his God. 

Boldly he must come before the throne 
Of God Most High! and hear anew 
The will of God for man, 

And see through all the learning of our day 
1 hat Will is one eternal law. 

That Will doth crown each natural law 
And so direct that every law obeys. 

Everything obeisance pays to Will, 

To man’s intelligence! 

“ Faith is one eternal law 
Wherein we have an evidence of things not seen! 

’Tis strong enough to stand the wildest storms, 
Enduring every tempest shock or strain; 

And bearing with all false in patience—waits 
Until the fields deluded with man’s frivolity 
Shall clear away; then man shall see 
The errors of the past, the vain 


14 


Daniel Faith. 


Deceits whereof he lived and served! 

Truth doth never controvert this law, 

Much less to bear disproof, or give 
A controversy to man’s faith. 

Who dares to say that truth would wreck man’s faith! 
Each law of life is highest evidence 
That from all time intelligence did reign : 

You cannot have a universe without intelligence! 

‘ ‘ Faith will stand the light of every truth— 

True faith as lived and taught by God’s own Son— 

’Tis of God’s being and an attribute 

Like truth, and love, and God’s omnipotence. 

We need not tremble with our little fears 
When man doth boldly go in quest of proof; 

But let us speak as is the high behest— 

‘Go forth and have dominion over all!’ ” 


CANTO IV. 

Argument. 

I questioned him to further speak, 
Concerning God’s decrees and high commands, 
And further he discoursed! 

“In every life there is a dual force, 

And like a magnet’s power both will draw. 

Man returns from whence he came to dust, 

And the spark of life that God implanted there, 
Within his heart, returns to God, 

If man doth follow all desires of flesh. 

But he who chooses Wisdom for his guide, 

And God, and light, and faith to guide his feet, 
Shall never fail, but ever upward move! 


Daniel Faith. 


15 


The narrow way is like the crystal light 
From Heaven falling in the night, 

When plods a weary footman o’er the hills 
To find the slumbering wife and little babes 
Asleep, and in the peaceful night at rest 
In his humble home—the home he left 
With early sun that morn, to go into the valley 
Far below, on errand for his livelihood. 

Along the narrow path there flows the stream 
Of immortal life, which is the balm 
Of soul, and heart, and mind. It heals 
The longing of the soul, and is elixir 
For poor thirsty man, who plods 
A weary life and never feeds 
His longing heart on Heaven’s gift— 

The manna sent from God to feed His own, 

That they might stronger grow along the way of life. 

“This narrow way will hold our weary feet, 

If we will walk with eyes turned up to Heaven, 
Praying as each step we daily take, 

And beating down the weeds of fear, 

Which thrive along life’s pathway. 

Along this narrow pathway music falls; 

It comes as though descending from God’s throne, 
And bringing in its melodies eternal sound 
Of harmonies, which man could never make. 

The harmonies are mellow in their blend; 

The tones are thrilling to the mortal ear; 

They call as though eternities 

Were whispering every day, yea more to speak, 

The accent seems to quicken every step 
And leave immortal sounding in our ears. 

And when we rise at day, though morn 


16 


Daniel Faith. 


Doth newly wing herself anew, 

With new born sun, to take her daily flight 
From morn to eve, we take a step 
Which leaves us nearer life’s eternity. 

“This narrow path leads by the fount of art, 
The fountain high, in highness to the heavens, 

In deepness even deeper than the sea, 

In width and breadth as wide as God’s eternity. 
And even at this fount there bubbles springs: 

The spring of Youth, and Life’s eternal spring; 
One spring of Joy, one Gladness, one called Peace, 
And many others for the mortal race. 

This fountain’s name, now should I dare to speak ? 
Remember when the burning bush appeared 
To Moses as lie tended sheep ? 

What wondrous sight he turned aside to see? 

God called to him and bade him take 
From off his feet his shoes, 

Because the ground whereon he stood 
Was Holy ground. Here God revealed himself! 
This fount has filled the hearts of aged men 
With hope anew and strength for aged days, 

And helped them walk in strong unfailing steps 
Toward the close of these their mortal days. 

While at this fount doth many mothers stand 
With failing traces on their sunken cheeks; 

But there are light gleams from their mortal eyes 
Which sparkle with the hope of life’s eternity. 

We see a young man come to drink his fill 
Of living from this life’s immortal spring, 

And life becomes a real and earnest life, 

And years become his treasured diadems. 

The effulgence of the glow from maidens’ cheeks 


Daniel Faith. 


17 


Who drink of Living from this mighty fount, 
Bespeak the glory of their youthful life. 

Another drinks and songs burst from his heart, 
His light heart bubbles out with melodies; 

His songs are such with joy that all may sing 
Who dwell around this fountain great and grand! 
Another drinks and stands in wondrous gaze 
In dazzled brightness from eternal light. 

Behold, another drinks, and there’s a gleam 
Of brightness on his face! We see him stand 
Upon the hilltop, with brush and canvass 
In his hands, and there he paints Life’s mysteries 
For men of hope and sight. 

This fountain is the fount of Faith, 

Where drank the mighty men of God, 

The mighty men of old, with wondrous sight: 
Abraham, and Isaac, Jacob too, 

Who saw the ladder up to Heaven’s door, 

While angels climbed thereon; yea more, 

He met the God of Israel one night, 

And in the mighty struggle which ensued, 

He went away in triumph, conquered 
Only by his God. and with a name to live 
Forever where dwells this God. 


CANTO V. 

Argument. 

‘ ‘ The broader way has none the light of God, 
There is no fountain for immortal thirst, 

There is no hill whereon the artist stands 
To see the light of endless years. 


18 


Daniel Faith. 


There is no music for the soul upon this way, 

There is no call to pray and rest your weary feet, 
There is no hill of light on which to climb 
And lay aside the burdens of your soul. 

There is no spring of Joy, no spring of Peace, 

There is no peering through this mortal mind, 

There is no peering through the clouds of age 
And Time’s adversity. 

“The way is broad and there are fixed no bounds, 
The way is wide and charming everywhere; 

No standards in this way to trouble you— 

You make your standards with your lustful wish; 
You live your life however mind desires! 

Along this way a mighty throng doth move 
Of mad men in their sin’s desire: 

Of murderers and men of every vice— 

You see them walking down this magnet way. 

Ho, wait and see the sight! 

There goes a murderer with blood stains on his hands, 
Here comes a drunkard staggering down the way, 
Here goes a prostitute with fading cheeks; 

How dread the scene, but stay and let us see! 

A mother cometh, daughter in her steps; 

A father staggering, and son behind; 

A man and wife comes walking hand in hand; 

There, many mothers in unchastity; 

Unchaste maidens in their frivolity; 

Frivolity in women, young and old, 

Seeking only pleasure every day! 

Here comes a host of men, no one could count, 

With lying words and blasphemy upon their lips! 
They are deceiving maidens of the land; 

They are blaspheming men and God of heaven. 


Daniel Faith. 


19 


“Along this way there goes the skum of earth, 
There walketh men of earth of lowest state, 

There walketh men whose hearts with hate are filled 
And brimming full of envy, hate and wrath. 

How sad to see the aged and the young, 

How sad to see the maidens and the fair, 

How sad to see the mothers young and old 
Walking down this calling way. 

How many of man’s races passed ? 

God only knows, the books of Heaven tell!” 

CANTO VI. 

Argument. 

I further spake to Daniel Faith, 

And thus I did inquire—because it thrilled 
My soul to hear a traveler speak: 

“If time thou hast to further speak, 

I wish to ask thee how a Pilgrim fares? 

How fare ye as a traveler to a land 
Of light and glory, to a land where dwelleth 
Angels fair? And further I would know 
Concerning vision here: is there a path, 

A way which man may walk, in journey to God’s 

Heaven ? ” 

At once he did reply: 

“Each day 'has purpose to me sir, 

And every day, since to the land of light 
My pilgrimage began, I dream of Heaven, 

And in the stilly night methinks 
I hear the voice of angels sing. 

I dream of Heaven in my slumber here, 

I sing of Heaven in the early morn, 


20 


Daniel Faith . 


I lift my feet toward bright Heaven’s gate 
Every sunrise in these mortal years. 

My heart is filled with Heaven’s melodies 
Each day, each hour, and all along my way. 

I hear the singing of eternities; 

Their days are lightly touching on my head; 

The accent of Time’s melodies arise; 

I see man bowing to the touch of years. 

I live an heir to all God’s richest here— 

The hills are His, the cattle and the vales, 

The seas and all the Heaven’s wide, 

The harvest of our yielding fields, 

And all the treasures which the earth 
Doth hide; yea more! the boundless oceans 
Of eternal life. I speak no boast, 

I only speak in truth! Now to thy queries 
Further I shall speak. There is a pathway 
To this land of light. The way is not by seeing 
Of the eyes; the way is not by hearing 
Of the ears; the way is not by lightning 
Calls, or quakes of earth, or thunder’s boisterous 
Sound; there is no flaming bush to beckon thee! 
God’s way is no compelling way or driving man. 
God gave to man a will to choose and serve, 

He gave to man a likeness unto God, 

He gave to man a soul which longs and yearns 
For Heaven, Its eternal home. 

God made a bridge from earth to Heaven high, 
Whereon a man may walk in mortal life, 

And keep his earthly steps secure; 

Thus never falling in earth’s -wisdom pits. 

This way is paved with prayers and highest hopes, 
This way is paved with God’s immortal love, 


Daniel Faith . 


21 


This way is paved with greatest sacrifice; 

This bridge in length: from deepest sea to Heaven. 
The bridge in name is Faith, the earthly path 
Whereon a man may walk and never fail! ” 


CANTO VII. 

Argument. 

‘ ‘ Daniel Faith, can this be true, 

That man may gain a mighty power? 

Concerning this I’d like to hear thee speak. 

How may man live and never doubt and fear? 
Some men doth speak of power little dreamed 
Coming down from Heaven above/’ Thus 
I to him addressed. Forthwith he prayed— 

With glowing face, as comes a new born day; 

Or as a lightning flash in darkest night, 

He spake unfailing words, no doubt expressed. 
His eyes were beaming with some wondrous light, 
Which none but God or Heaven understands; 
His words were riven in the bonds of faith 
And knowledge of the living word to man. 

I turned my eyes to shed an envious tear, 

My soul was longing for eternal light. 

How the heart of man doth yearn and sigh 
For fair Heaven’s love, the infinite! 

For fair Heaven’s light, eternal light! 

For the wisdom coming down from God to man; 
For the peace that comes to mortal men, 

Lifting from earth’s sorrows and her fears— 
‘‘O God of Host, 

Eternal God most High! We look to Thee 


22 


Daniel Faith. 


With hearts of love and praise, 

We speak Thy name in reverence and love! 

The worlds are Thine, the stars and all their host, 

The sun and moon, the widest, deepest seas; all wisdom 
too, 

The greatest and the small, as high as Heaven 
And its highest light. Thou knowest too 
Our little wisdom here: our thinking 
In our wise philosophy. How we must blush 
In shame to tell Thee of our great theology? 

Men quibble here, 0 Lord, concerning Thee, 

On love, and grace, and even charity! 

Some leave the cross aside to never bear, 

Some leave Thy Son aside to never hear. 

Let blush with me all Heaven's host— 

0 God, I pause to weep, what mortal men have done! 
Thou art a myth, some are so bold to say; 

There's nothing like immortal life for mortal man; 
But man is only groping here as in the dark, 

And little more than cattle of the field! 

“0 God of Host! 

Our God eternally! We have no wisdom 
Save it comes from Thee; we have no wisdom Lord 
Whereof to speak in our bubbled thoughts 
From mortal man. We cannot tell Thee how 
The seas were made; we cannot form or give 
The tender plant its growth; we cannot 
Fragrance give the rose! 

We find the laws of nature obviously 
Before our eyes, and then we are amazed 
At dumbness of our minds and wisdom here. 

The lightning flashes from the east to west, 

We see it, but we do not understand. 


Daniel Faith. 


23 


We count high Heaven’s host of stars, 

And see the flashes in the darkest night; 

We name them by our little thinking mind. 

Our mortal minds are stamped upon the dust— 

The labor of Thy hand, 0 Lord most High! 

We peer this space, the infinite, and long for Thee. 
We fail to know, we cannot comprehend 
The mighty works and wisdom of Thy plan; 

We have our souls encumbered in this clay 
Of dust; we live in Thine appointed day. 

We have no life save of Thy will, 0 God! 

We have no will save given Lord of Thee. 

“I thank Thee for the shining path of faith, 

I thank T'hee for the love of Him who died 
That we might have eternal life and light. 

We pause at Heaven’s throne to wash our garments 
white 

Of mortal fears, and tears, and weeping here; 

We break the clodded grave and burst asunder 
All Death’s prison bars and all Death’s power. 

And in the name of Jesus, Heaven’s doors 
Will open with the words from mortal lips— 

Yes, through the name of Jesus, Heaven’s host 
Will bend their ears to hear our mortal cries.” 

Thus Daniel prayed and then he spake to me: 

“I have no power save high Heaven’s power, 

I have no power which I call my own; 

I walk the path of Faith from earth to Heaven. 
God’s grace is free to all who come to Him 
To do His will and hear His high command. 

His love is flowing from Mt. Calvary 

For all who come to Him. This fountain wide 

Is flowing free to all; he bids t'hee come 


24 


Daniel Faith. 


And drink and ever live in Heaven’s light. 

“ Concerning men who never doubt or fear: 

The work of God is wide before our eyes, 

The way of Faith is peaceful to our heart; 

Eternal love will burn if you will blow 
The spark which smoulders in your heart; 

It was implanted there—this spark of light, 

The living breath of God—to give 
Unfailing light unto your feet. 

God answers when we call to Him in prayer, 

God answers when we breathe his praise in song, 

God hears us when we’re in the way of Faith, 

Though poor and needy, helpless, weak or strong.” 


CANTO VIII. 

Argument. 

“If thou hast time to tell me sir, 

Concerning things men like to know, 

How didst thou overcome adversity, 

And doubt, and fear and worldly men? 

I’d like to hear thee speak, if pleaseth 

Thee to spare some time in converse, and to tell 

Of all thou hast encountered in the way” 

And then he answered me, speaking thus: 
“It pleaseth me to tell thee all, 

All I’ve heard, and all I’ve seen and felt, 

All the wisdom from the lips of men, 

And many perils I have met. 

Be seated here, (he pointed to the ground) 

It thrills my heart to talk of God to men! 
“Men of earth who taste the joys of life, 


Daniel Faith. 


25 


Who growetk up as grows a tender plant, 

Who languish with the wooing years of time, 

As doth a lover’s tears when she with lover stands! 

We live an earnest life, we live a life that’s real; 

But oft encumbered with trivial things are we. 

We stand amazed when life doth first appear, 

Though forward we should move, not descend, 

But to the holy crested hill of light— 

The light of Heaven and Eternal Love— 

We should ascend, until this light from Heaven 
Transcends the visions of these mortal eyes. 

How oft we feel the bending of our eyes 

Toward some earthly prize; our vision then bedimmed, 

Our soul engulfed with earthly cares. 

Remember we are mortal, and our mortal minds 
Doth long for mortal cares. To further speak, 

Our soul is from high Heaven’s God, who made 
This earthly house in which we dwell. 

But let us now enjoin in different thought! 

<l There was a monstei crouching at youth’s door 
When I was but a child; this monster great 
And fearful paced before mine eyes. 

His voice was like the roaring of a lion; 

His eyes were like the lightning flashes in the night 
When thunders roar, and dashes boisterous wind; 
His teeth were dripping with the blood of youth 
And men and women who had been his prey; 

His ears were large, they had no mercy 
For the cries of youth and needy men. 

He paced the earth at day and night in wildest rage, 
And treaded down the flowers of the land— 

The youthful flowers in his bloody path. 

No one sought to conquer him or tame him; 


26 


Daniel Faith. 


Men would feed him from their hands of wealth; 

They gave him youth for food of tenderest age, 

They gave him maidens fair, both young and old; 
They let him lap his food from out their hand. 

I heard the cry of aged calling, help! 

I heard the groans of people everywhere 
Distressed in fear and agony 
Of this beast, I met a man who dared 
To fight this monster great; he fought 
In struggle long and hard, but finally 
He fled in awe, with vision gone. 

I heard the story from his lips, 

I’ll here repeat: ‘My youthful vision, 

For I’ll there begin, was to walk the path of faith. 

I thought within that path the way was ease; 

I did not dream of trials or despair; 

I thought to make the start was all 

For man to do. I started forth accordingly, 

But lo! I met this monster early on my way. 

He turned his flashing eyes upon my path, 

He roared with a mighty monstrous voice, 

And there I thought to hide myself; 

So turned me back to hide from whence I came, 

Until this monster in his wrath had gone. 

I waited long beneath my father’s roof— 

I dared not venture out in life again— 

At last with courage some renewed 
I ventured forth in greatest fear. 

Not long I traveled in the path of Faith, 

I saw the way wherein this monster passed; 

The sight was heinous to my eyes! 

Men had fallen, young and old, and weak and strong; 
Some had fallen prostrate in their fear; 


Daniel Faith. 


27 


Some sneaked away in shame and scorn; 

While others stood indifferently and looking on. 

But here I closed my seeing to the sight 
With quickened step until the scene I passed. 

I made my will to fight and hoped to win, 

But lo, I did not apprehend the monster near ap¬ 
peared ; 

His rush was soon upon me; I turned in flight, 

And fought his lashes from me as I fled; 

But see! I bear the scars upon me all these years— 

I had no courage to my hope renew/ 

Thus spake he to me in my youthful days! 

* ‘ I would not let my vision fail, I sat 
In meditation long—as like the gray-haired 
Saturn long ago, when he had fallen down 
From high domain, and power lifted from his head; 

He sat in stillness of the darkest night, 

When earth is blackest from departed sun, 

And stars do seem to hide themselves away 
To draw a veil of mourning o’er the world. 

The day I’ll ne’er forget, ’twas full of thrills; 

The which have lifted me. I recollect 
How evening came and how the sunlight faded 
Into deepest night. The evening calm was voiceless, 
While no echoes bounded o ’er the deep; 

There was no sound of music on the wings of night. 
My soul and heart did controvert 
As to my future course; my soul did call 
Me to the way of Faith, and Light, and Life; 

But in my heart there was a voice more crude, 

Which boldly beckoned me to walk the way of earth. 
I there in deepest meditation sat and wondered 
O’er the mighty call of life; life seemed a mystery— 


28 


Daniel Faith. 


I could not understand the how, or why; 

My lamp of life was burning out with every day. 

Our bodies are as little tallow candles in the night, 
And time the flame which gently melts us down; 
We burn and flicker with the winds of life; 

Some puffs doth blow us low, again we rise 
And glimmer high with brightest light, 

Sufficiently to guide the steps of mortal men. 

My youthful heart was far unskilled 
In controversy of man’s mind. 

It grieved me that I was divided so within myself. 
Sorrow’s estuaries bursted forth within my heart; 

I felt them boiling high; my heart 
Did leap and writhe in silent agony. 

Night did quietly brood o’er all the earth ; 

She stretched her wings from east to west 
And north to south the more to sadden me; 

There was no light to sparkle with the tears 
That fell from Heaven’s cheeks; there was no sound 
To break an echo o’er the silent deep. 

A fantast long I sat in reverend awe; 

I marvelled at the chaos in man’s heart, 

The height and deepness, length and breadth 
Of yearning in the mind, when smattered vision 
Doth appear; so sat I there while heart and soul 
Did controvert. But then it did appear, 

In the deep of night, that heart and soul did reconcile. 
As there I sat some one did come to me; 

I knew not whence he came, I turned mine eyes 
And, lo! this stranger stood. His face was meek 
And sorrow did portray; his eyes were keen 
And piercing with gentle glow; his robe was white 
As is our winter snow. He spake:—At first 


Daniel Faith . 


29 


1 did not comprehend— ‘Your soul has lifted 
Agony unto God, and Heaven’s host doth know 
Your vision grand: your hope to walk the way 
Of Faith, and Light, and Life; so came I here 
Concerning Faith to speak to thee! 

The world doth offer thee its richest gift, 

Its treasures and its jewels rare, 

Its pleasures, honors, and its greatest fame, 

Its wisdom, knowledge—all ’twill freely give. 

I say to thee a burden bear, a cross to take, 
Sometime no pillow even for your weary head, 
Sometime in thirst and hungering to go, 

And often friendless ’mid the worldly men. 

I bid thee take thy cross and follow me! 

I’ve walked the way in mortal flesh for thee— 
You’ll find recorded in the Word of Light 
The story of my earthly life. I offer thee reward 
Of greatest price, the like was never offered mortal 
man; 

The cost to Heaven was greatest sacrifice, 

Yea more, to God and to the Son of man. 

I bid thee take thy cross and follow me, 

And I will give thee life—eternal life. 

I’ll hold thy hand through faith, 

I’ll lead thee through life’s valleys wide and deep, 

I’ll hold thee when the tempest sweeps thy path, 

I’ll guide thee when the thunders loudly sound, 

I’ll be thy guide when mortal light is dim, 

I ’ll guide thy feet when earth is dark in night; 

And walk before thee on the path of Faith. 

My name will be your key at Heaven’s door! 

My name will give your eyes a heavenly glow, 

And men will know when they have seen thy face 


30 


Daniel Faith. 


That thou hast something more than men of doubt. 
The name is JESUS, this my Heaven name! 

Ask what ye will, and thus ye shall receive, 

Seek in this name and ye shall surely find, 

Knock at high Heaven’s doors, and God 
Will open wide and hear your plea !’ 

Then I awoke to find, alas! that I had dreamed. 
Further now I’ll speak as how a pilgrim fares. 

This monster great concerning which I spake— 

This monster bold which prowled my youthful days— 
I met and conquered through this magic Name; 

The name which moves the wicket at high Heaven’s 
door, 

And Jesus is the mighty word and name. 

The ears from Heaven bend to hear a word 
Prefixed with this name on mortal lips! 

“This monster bold, I’ll tell to thee its name, 
Though yet I shriek in horror at the sound 
Which to mine ears recalls my childhood fears, 
Adversity, a mighty foe to men! 

Adversity is prowling everywhere: 

He meets men at the cradle and there doth rob 
Them of the proper care and nourishment, 

He robs the child of food, he robs the home of care, 

He robs the father’s hand; yea more, 

He swipes with brawny muscles fairest youth. 

I met Adversity in youthful strength, 

And fought and conquered with my youthful hand. 


Daniel Faith. 


31 


CANTO IX. 

Argument. 

“Even While Adversity did linger near for battle, 
Crying out with snarling slurs, disparaging, 
Traducing, and loitering on my path, 

I looked, and lo, a mountain high 
Did near appear. I heard a voice, 

A piteous cry, as cried the Serpent long ago, 

When God did from the Heaven cast 
The host of Hell into eternal night. 

The voice did loudly cry in agony, 

And as I nearer came I heard the words: 

‘ ‘ ‘Man cannot climb this rugged hill and steep, 
Ten thousand fall and into deepest pits 
They plunge. The mountain is too high 
For man to pass without he climbs— 

I’ve fallen back, and into deep abyss. ’ * 1 
“I nearer came and other voices heard, 

Some faint and low, some wild with vicious hate, 
Some lay vanquished, rolling in the deep abyss, 
Which widened at the mountain edge. 

I set my heart with fullest will to climb 
The roughest crags the mountain could afford; 

I longed to view the dangers and the deepest pits, 
And have a word with men in sorrow stayed. 

Thus I moved with stronger steps secure 
In quest of venture for imperiled souls. 

I saw engulfed around the dismal hill 
The saddest scene that ever eyes beheld— 

Poor men bowed down in agony and shame. 

All loss of vision or the needs of men 
Did mark the drooping eyes of every man; 


Daniel Faith. 


None would lift a hand to help their fellow man, 

But stood in desolation, void of 'hope, 

And thickest gloom had fallen everywhere. 

None would consult as how to rise and overcome 
Their dire calamity. My heart did weigh 
In deepest grief for men so deeply fallen. 

They clamored in the wildest cries to call 
Me back when at the mountain foot 
I started to ascend. I learned the fate 
Of men who paused to hear and never further went. 
An aged man stood near the path I walked, 
Because I walked the narrow path of Faith; 

I questioned why the host had fallen there, 

And why they did not walk the path I saw 
Before my feet? ‘What path?’ he called, 

‘There is no path that leadeth o’er 
This mountain steep; I’ve wandered here 
From side to side to find a way to climb; 

Yon’ll find no path to lead you here,!’ 

I answered him—‘There is a way of Faith, 

I seek this path with every step I take— 

I see it now upon the mountain side— 

These mortal eyes doth seek the narrow way! 

Come walk the path wherein my feet doth move! 

(I called to him), I’m in the path from Calvary 
To Heaven. The way of Faith will lead me here, 
And o’er the steepest mountain side; 

’Twill lead me when these mortal eyes doth fail.’ 

He cried in anger and in wildest voice:— 

‘ Behold these creatures here on every side! 

They grovel here before mine eyes and prostrate lie, 
Fallen from the highest state and low— 

I stand astounded at the piteous scene, 


Daniel Faith. 


33 


How men have fallen such pernicious depths. 

I curse the day on which I crept 

From out my mother's womb. Once to have foiled 

My youth would have been no childish play; 

But now I see the folly of this life; 

Man cometh as doth grow a tender plant: 

He grows, and lives, and dies, and nothing more! 
He wastes like the carrion in the mire. 

Do not disgust me with this talk of Faith, 

I ’ll brand your name with deepest words of Hell! ’ 
“I left him at the brow to wander there 
Around this perilous hill so high and steep; 

He would not reason at my counsel given; 

No more to do but leave him there to die. 

I climbed this mountain, walking in the path 
Of Faith; I did not falter, neither stumble o'er 
The crags which did protude the mountain side. 
This mountain where I climbed was that of Doubt. 
’Twas a mountain high, and steep, and wide; 
Many stumble o'er its crags and fall 
Into despondency, and fear and hate. 

The path of Faith will guide a pilgrim's steps 
Across this hill of Doubt, and keep him 
In the light which falls from Heaven's door. 


CANTO X. 

Argument. 

‘ ‘ When I ascended up this mountain high 
I paused to look around wdiereon I stood, 

I turned mine eyes back o’er the path I came 
And saw men falling all along the way; 


34 


Daniel Faith. 


Some stumbled but they rose again 
And climbed a little higher every time. 

I heard a mighty sound from whence I stood; 

I turned mine eyes to follow up the sound, and lo, 

I saw a mighty flame dashing far and high, 

And many who had climbed the hill stood still 
In fear and awe; some trembled, and some did hide 
their face 

In great despair, while others ventured near. 

You could not know how fared they as they journeyed 
on. 

The dragon cried against the host of heaven; 

With flaming wrath it scorned poor mortal men. 

Its voice would burst, and like the evening thunders 
Sounded loud and long; the earth did seem to tremble 
Everywhere; and hills resounded far and wide 
The echoes of the boisterous sounds. 

The flames of wrath did sweep beyond my sight; 

Its hurling smoke did seem to blind the way 
That leads from earth to Heaven, like Vesuvius 
Breaks in maddest flow, transforming all about her 
Into deepest gloom. Men questioned—‘Should 
They further gof I gazed with comtemplation 
On the scene, and marveled at the fear of man; 

I thought of how the Christ had overcome 
The Evil One and all his cunning skill; 

I thought of how the Christ had sacrificed 
His life for mortal man; forthwith my purpose 
Did renew to dare and do, with stronger faith 
To on my journey go. Thus on I moved 
With bolder heart among the men 
Who stood and sighed in awe and fear. 

But as I nearer moved, the dragon crouched 


Daniel Faith. 


35 


Before me near the path to go, his voice 
Vehemently did cry impetionsly 
Against the host of Heaven; blasphemous 
Were the gutteral sounds of ire, 

Which bursted from its heart of gloom. 

But on I moved in prayer, and faith, 

Imparted by the Prince of Heaven. 

‘ 0 help me God! ’ I prayed, as on I moved, 

‘ This is too much for eyes to see and know; 

Thou knowest all! the way of life hath planned! 

I cannot comprehend the things I see. 

This monster great—0, help me pass his power: 
The power that wrecks and ruins these fearful men, 
Who linger here to never further move. 

Lift up this smoke that would mine eyes bedim; 
Drive out the fear that would my faith remove; 
Hold up my head and give me eyes of sight, 

To lead me through this mortal gloom. 

This dragon feedeth on earth’s mortal men; 

He eroucheth on this dreary hill; forlorn and wild, 
In maddest desolation doth he prance 
Before our eyes to make us faint and fail. 

But God of Host, I lift my hope to thee, 

I put my hand in Thine, lead Thou me on!’ 

Then soon before the dreaded monster stood 
A youthful pilgrim, whom your eyes behold. 

This dragon had a name across his face— 
ATHEISM, but lo, I passed without a wound 
Or scar, and kept within the path of Faith, 

Which leads from earth to Heaven; 

A path whereon a man may walk in blackest night 
Or in the darkest day! 


36 


Daniel Faith. 


CANTO XI. 

Argument. 

‘ ‘Not many suns I walked in peace ere long I stood 
And peered into a deep and gloomy gulf, 

A valley far, and wide, and deep, 

Chaotic to the sight of mortal eye; 

And wails of anguish sounded far and long 
Against the concaved arches of the deep. 

As I descended down the path of Faith 
I heard men cry in fear and agony. 

Some longed for death to rest their weary feet; 

Some longed for death to close their weary eyes; 

Some longed for death to rest their weary heads; 

And others called for death to appease their fright¬ 
ened soul. 

I saw the youth, and strong, and aged too, 

Mothers, daughters, fathers young and old, 

All bending down as in obeisance bowed, 

And writhing in their weakened agony. 

I sought to information find, 

And thus I spake to one who came my way: 

‘Good friend, why all this agony and fear? 

Why all this bending low in wails and cries? 

Some fall as in obeisance bowed, 

A reason wilt thou kindly answer me V 
‘A stranger art thou here?’ he looked at me. 

He was an aged man and worn, 

Deep signs of fear bedimmed his aged eyes; 

His shoulders bowed as ’neath a load of grief; 

His hair was blooming—like the flower at morn 
That wastes with the noonday sun. 

He spake in learned voice: 


Daniel Faith. 


37 


‘As Gaea from the womb of Chaos issued forth, 
And then begat Uranus, heaven’s clime, 

The mountains high, and long, and wide, and steep; 
Then issued Pontus, yea, the deepest seas! 

From union with Uranus, Titans sprung, 

The Cyclops and the Centimanes; 

And to the Titans, Chronus and Rhea, Zeus is born. 
Zeus, reared by the nymphs on Mount Dicte, strangely 
Nursed by the s'he-goat, Amalthea, 

Fed by the bees from forest wild, 

And hidden till he grew a powerful god; 

Then attacked his father, Cronus, and overcame, 
Becoming chief and ruler of the universe. 

He was the source’of life to mythic mind; 

He drave the clouds, arid sent his lightning forth, 
Stirred up his thunders, sent forth the rain and hail. 
His aegis hung with golden tassels strung, 

Amidst was fast the fearful Gorgon head; 

And thus arrayed he sent the mighty storms. 

Or like the children of the mythic night 
Who steal away the tribes of mortal men, 

And lead them off to Pluto’s lower world 
To dwell in bonds of death and darkened sleep. 

Or like as Orcus deals his mortal wounds 
In warrior’s skill and dries the heart of man, 
Without a recompense full, justly due! 

So is this gulf in which you now must pass! 

These men in fear and agony, you see, 

Have learned that all must die. 

The hand of Death doth write this grevious fear 
Upon the hearts of mortal men. 

No one doth speak to tell us of the night 
In which so many sleep; we hear no sound 


38 


Daniel Faith. 


Of voices once we knew r —we weep to call 
Them back, but none doth come! 

Long years I’ve wandered in this gulf of fear; 

I Ve lingered here and robbed my vigorous days; 
I’ve brooded in my longing state to pass 
Beyond the gate of Death; but lo! 

Fve found there is no other way; 

So now I wait to let Death lay his hands 
Upon my brow and pass me to his bounds. 

This Gulf is Fear of Death! This can you pass 
With glowing face as doth appear upon you now? 
You seem to have no fear, you smile 
While saddened voice doth speak f .o you! 

Death will lay his sullen hand on young and old— 
You stand in youth with vigor in your eyes; 

But bear in mind that death will come to you! ’ 

So discoursed he as stood I near to hear; 
Therewith I did reply: 

“There is a voice from Death! 

The Son of God, the Highest Prince of Heaven, 
Did drive away the sting of death and grave; 

He burst the bars and from the tomb arose. 

And now I walk with Christ in faith secure, 
Relying on His word and promises. 

Death failed ‘his secrets then to keep, 

He failed to bind his prisoner 

Secure and strong. And up arose 

This Master of all men, in mighty power, 

In strength renewed, since prison bars 
Of death had failed to bind 
And hold him in the tomb. 

Let all rejoice! Proclaim the news afar! 

Let men from all the ends of every land 


Daniel Faith . 


39 


Come join our song! Come shout the triumph, 

Ho, ye men athirst for mighty song, 

That Christ arose and crushed Death’s prison bars. 
Such wondrous news the world had never heard, 

And how the hearts revived in drooping men; 

There came a gleam of joy within their hearts 

That caused the eyes of God to turn 

And see the wondrous thrills in hearts of men. 

All heaven wept with greatest joy untold 
When He, a God and man, did overcome, 

Did lift again in touch with God 
The yearning souls of men, that wandered 
Long and thirsty in their perilous task 
To find their way to Him, high Heaven’s God. 

All Heaven joined to sing a song, 

Which none can sing but those with garment white, 
Who’ve washed their garments in His blood, 

The Lamb of God, God’s only Son. 

And how the arched walls of Heaven rang 
With this wondrous song! The voices, 

None could count, arose in one refrain; 

And never was such singing heard before in Heaven. 
Each voice arose in perfect unity; 

Each voice atuned at Gabriel’s great command; 
And all were skilled and trained before God’s throne, 
Before this wondrous song was ever sung. 

If Heaven sings how much should man rejoice? 

How great should be the purpose of his heart, 

How oft his heart should rise in melodies and praise! 

‘ ‘ Fear Doth flee w T hen hearts awake in song! 
Death sneakers off to seek another prey; 

And doubt doth banish as the rhythmic sounds 
That fly away with your melody. 

Let’s rhyme a dirge to Death: 


40 


Daniel Faith. 


Deceiving men, such like has never been; 

So prosperous in a mighty crop of fears; 

So heedless to the mourner’s wailing tears; 
So heartless, the like was never seen! 

A scoffer at the best work from man’s hand; 
Ambition’s foe, an enemy to pride, 

Besetting man in everything, beside 
Thou art a wrecker of his land. 

But Death, we chant this wondrous song! 
What further shall we boast? 

Death has surely, surely lost 
The power he held so long. 

Let’s swell the chorus to the end of earth, 

Let all men join the song, 

Ye weak men and ye strong, 

All sing, ye victors over Death!” 


CANTO XII. 

A Song to Youth. 

Then Daniel stood, with smile upon his face; 

He seemed to find himself in other years; 

The accent of his words to different meter changed; 
Somehow, he wandered o’er his life again. 

I felt my soul go bounding in the deep, 

As wanders heart and mind when music falls 
From an instrument well tuned, 

When one in harmonies well trained 
Doth pass his skillful hand along the notes, 


Daniel Faith. 


41 


So ordered that rich modulations fall 
In bright sequence, in all the laws of harmony. 

I felt the change with every word he spake; 

At first I did not apprehend the why, 

Or purpose of the changed thought. 

As men of age oft live their lives again, 

And wander back into the vivid days of youth; 

So changed our speaker, and his thinking 
Changed to different meter and with rhyming verse. 
He lifted up his eyes as in a dream, 

But his face was pleasant and his voice was calm, 
While thus he spake: 1 ‘Be patient sir, 

And further I will speak to thee 
Concerning men Ive met; men learned 
In great philosophy! But first, 

With thy permission I will sing 
A song to youth.” And so he sang: 

Daniel's Song to Youth. 

I. 

“Let memory pause an hour today 
And wander back to years gone by, 

And ramble through the childhood days, 

And see the world through childish eye— 

Hearing, tasting, feeling, being, 

All the joy that child could know; 

Living life and only seeing 

The sun of life and its radiant glow. 

“Let me climb again the mountain, 

Hear the singing of the bird, 

See the hand of God in nature, 


42 


Daniel Faith. 


Read His language seen not heard; 
Read His language in the dew drop, 
In the seasons, in the years; 

See His handprints on the hilltops; 

See His love in all our tears! 

II. 

“Take me back an hour to childhood, 
Let me rest my brooding soul 
With a youthful heart and vision 
Of life’s conquest and its goal. 

Life was then a golden vision, 

Not a scar of strife appeared, 

All was coffered then in sunshine— 
Naught indeed but life was heard. 

“Life appeared a song of living, 

Not the clouds and shadows too— 

Not the longing, toiling, yearning; 

Not the hand to hinder you; 

Not the weary faces pleading; 

Not the weary hearts to lift; 

Not with every hour some needing 
Fuller hands to offer gift. 

“Life was just a golden shadow 
Buoyant with a call to men; 

Not a mark to turn your footsteps; 
Not a path to lead to sin; 

Not a cry to give you heart aches! 
Not a face to make you sad; 

Not an hour to make you dreary— 
But every thought to make you glad. 


Daniel Faith. 


43 


III. 

“0, the call that comes with childhood 
From a wide and dreaming world, 

Is like the brightness of an angel, 

Or our starlit flag unfurled! 
Lingering with us every moment, 
Pealing with a silver chime; 

Calling youth to follow onward— 
Flooding accent with its rhyme. 

“Calling youth to come and rescue 
Men of little worth and deed; 

Calling youth to face with valor 
All the world with all its need. 

Calling youth to stay the father, 

Who has lifted hand so long, 

While he rolled the world on to us— 
Now a burden for youth’s strong. 

“ Memory turn thy pages backward, 

Let me live my youth in mind, 

Let me walk again with mother— 

Let me all youth’s treasures find! 

Let me hear the verse enchanted 
That my mother taught me then— 

0, the yearning she implanted 
In my heart to walk with men: 

‘ ‘ Men who live to make life better; 

Men who live for things worth while ; 
Men who live to point you upward; 
Men who give the world a smile; 


44 


Daniel Faith. 


Men who make life’s burdens lighter; 
Men who give us songs to sing; 

Men who make the dark days brighter; 
Men who make life’s joybells ring! 

IV. 


‘ ‘ Lo, eternity is calling! 

Life is floating on time’s wing; 

Years are dewdrops on time’s tablet, 
Flowing from Life’s mortal spring— 
Telling little deeds of manmind; 
Telling of our wars and strife; 

Telling of the thoughts of manmind— 
Telling of his mortal life. 

“We are mortal in our living, 

We are mortal in our way, 

We are mortal in our yearning; 

We are like the child at play: 
Choosing places of highest greatness, 
Choosing first and choosing best, 
Satisfying all our yearnings— 

Then our chums may have the rest. 

“Thus we stand at youthful morning 
Peering through life’s vale of years, 
Seeing nothing but the goldrims 
Of our failures and our fears; 

Seeing not the finger pointing 
Of eternity to God; 

Yea, and more! the years anointing 
Every path that man must plod. 


Daniel Faith. 


45 


“Even in our highest thinking 
Peering through eternity, 

Scaling heights and bounding deepness, 
We are chaff in destiny; 

We are driven like the dewdrops 
From a lily to the dust, 

In time’s crested sweep from hilltops 
Of the Holy and the Just. 

“Let us bend our little thinking 
Into trends of greater light; 

Let us give our little beings 
To the God of Truth and Might; 

Let us yield our little yearnings 
To the One of Truth and Love; 

Let us grant the laws of nature 
To their author, from above! 

“Every law must have an author: 

Thus we speak of laws of science; 

Thus we speak of stars and nature 
In our formulas appliance. 

So this universal order, 

In its law of unity, 

Brings with every year its seasons, 

Far beyond humanity. 

“We are finding in our thinking 
Laws so near and obviously, 

Laws of universal order, 

Laws of God’s eternity. 

When the kite boy found the lightning 


46 


Daniel Faith. 


He discovered nothing new, 

He only found a law in nature 
Which was through the ages true. 

“Newton’s law of gravitation 
Was a law with hoary ages, 

Nothing new except the finding 
Changed the wisdom of our sages. 
Minute radium in the carnotite, 
Discovered by the Mme. Curie, 

Moved the hand of Time a little 
On the face of eternity. 

“God has given us to conquer 
Earth, and land and sky, and sea; 
Lo, the field is wide before Us; 

Not a boulder on the lea! 

Not a voice to say, thou shalt not, 

In commandment, or in word; 

Behold the field, so vast before us— 
‘Conquer,’ is the written word! 

“Let us lift our thoughts yet upward, 
Peer the water, search the land; 

Let us with our little wisdom 
Greater secrets understand. 

We will find yet greater knowledge 
In the blushing of the flower, 

And we ’ll find yet greater mysteries 
In the falling summer shower. 

“Nothing hid, but all is open 
In this world in which we move; 


Daniel Faith. 


47 


We must have an eye to pieree it; 
We must have a mind to prove. 

Man must give a day and linger 
At the Universal spring; 

There he’ll find the joy of living, 
There he’ll find new songs to sing! 

“Ho, ye men of every nation 
Thirsting for Eternal Truth, 

Come and wash within this Fountain 
Bursting with eternal youth. 

Men may sing to every error 
Rising from deluded hearts; 

But the light of Heaven shields thee 
From the vicious poisoned darts!” 


CANTO XIII. 

Argument. 

And thus he finished in his song to youth 
And quietly sat again upon the summer’s ground; 
And there we sat deliberate as he spake 
In highest words with glowing face. 

Our faith did rise, dispelling fears, 

Exalting us to higher hope, and I, 

With yearning heart to hear the more, 

Intreated him to further speak. 

Forthwith he did reply: ‘ ‘ My comrade, friend I 
Of Heaven’s way my soul delights to speak; 

Of love, of faith, and hope, and charity, 

Of God, and mysteries of His mighty plan, 

Of prayer and walking in high Heaven’s way; 


48 


Daniel Faith. 


But these I’ll leave since time doth sorely press 
The day to noonday sun; to meditate, 

Perdhance, youTl feed your weary soul 
Upon these themes some other day, 

When in the path you walk to Life and Light. 

The course I now propose is not the high, 

But more concerning man, as how 

That men doth fain to controvert the will of God 

And bend it to their mind; but vain, 

That is, to know: His wisdom comprehend 
In fullness, fully understand. 

Some men doth speak in fluent eloquence, 

And others speak in wise philosophy, 

While others speak in pessimistic hope, despair, 

In sullen voice, depressed and in the saddest gloom. 
First, I’ll speak of one in learning fluent; 

His words were matchless in man’s eloquence. 

He spake as might a god in mythic thought, 
Presaging mind of men from knowledge past 
Or present, even yet to be-foreboding spake 
Prescient to my thought, in words perplexing 
To my knowledge trained; but blasted hope 
And fallen countenance bedimmed his eyes, 

While in his matchless eloquence he spake to me. 
His name, if well I recollect, was Eloquence. 

I’ll try in accuracy his words repeat, 

Because of learning which he would impart 
To men much lesser versed in learning here, 

That is, in thinking of the mortal mind. 

So spake, as stood I still to hear, 

The learned Mr. Eloquence: 

li ‘Perceivest I thou art a hopeful youth, 
Thus far the hope of mortal youth aglow; 


Daniel Faith. 


49 


Thou hast not yielded to the wreck and ruin 
Of Time, but surely thou shalt meet his form; 
Then thou shalt change as doth the misty air 
Deprived by beam of golden noonday sun. 
Darkness doth not come while hope is new, 

But like a ruined angel cast from Heaven, 

As God did cast the fallen angels forth 
From Heaven’s gate to deepest pits of night, 

So falls a man when hope has bloomed and failed. 
Thou hast no pride save in thine youthful hope, 
And when thy youth has gone so hope will fail— 
As fails a giant when sight is gone, or strength 
Is shorn by skill, and goes he forth 
To meet distorted fate; so fails the heart 
Which youthful (heart distends, and brooding 
Thought doth move "where hope abode. 

Youth is a land where many longings rise 
To bubble, as doth rise the soapy foam 
When children stand at play in sudsy froth; 

But little winds of life as forth you go 
Will scatter hope so quickly from your grasp. 

I once in youth did stand in golden dreams, 

I thought the world would turn within my hands ; 

I stood enthroned in clouds of youthful hope, 

And gorgeous show r ers fell from calling lands; 
While thus insatiate I was to go pursuing 
Virtues rising greater still— 

Me thought of virtue as a silver toy 
Which God doth give his own for play. 

More merit may you know and eminence 
Achieve with reigning hope than I. 

I prophesy that (hope will be dethroned 

And you will meet downheartedly a yawning tomb; 


50 


Daniel Faith. 


So have I learned with inaccessible fate, 
Perpetually crouching by the path of men. 

Let grieve with me these mortal clods of dust, 
Poor mortal men whose lives are vanity. 

My life is whirling in this dismal smoke, 

As doth a little fire before a mighty wind; 

And failure points his ugly hand in scorn 
Before me every day; I stand stupendously 
In awe and fear before the rush of time. 

The goldrims of my dreams have found the mire, 
They’ve lamely fallen to chc dusty ground. 

If angels ever guarded o’er my path, 

They let me fail or drink Life’s fatal cup, 

As Socrates, who did the hemlock drink, 

Gave his soul to God’s Immortal Hand. 

Accurst art thou, 0 youth! far better ’tis 
For man to live in smallest magnitude 
And never dream, or hope, or long, or sigh, 

Nor never see the bigness of the stars— 

I think it better for a man to take 
His little light and let it dimly shine. 

The happy man is one wlho never knows 
The world is wide, nor learns of providence 
Or fate, nor prestige seeks among his fellow-man 
But rises with the morning sun to sing 
The day asleep, into an evening calm, 

And then he sleeps while moon and stars 
Doth play the lullaby to night. 

I’ve rambled ’mid the thoughts of men to find 
A balm for fainting souls—there is no peace; 
I’ve searched Voltaire’s mind and volumed lore, 
And many volumes from all learned minds. 
Swedenborg, the mystic, strangely finds 


Daniel Faith. 


51 


A gigantic crystalled universe, 

Unbroken laminae doth lie in unity, 

And all is cold and still; what seemeth 
Individual will is none, the universe 
Doth suffer under sleep, magnetic sleep, 

And only reflects the magnetic mind to men— 
Every thought doth of environment come. 
Byron and Pindar doth only poets trust, 

While Plotinus will only philosophers believe, 
And Fenelon would only trust in saints, 

But trust 1 none of men. I have no tear to waste 
On languished thought, time doth eat us up, 

And so we are delusioned by the years. 

In labor and in trying toil we pass 
Life’s dark abyss, and hope amain 
Would follow but slhe fails, she falls 
A wearied at our prostrate feet, 

And from our hearts avulsioned doth she go. 

I recollect how I did sing a dirge 

To youth ago, when at the parting of the way 

We came; the dirge I recollect and will repeat: 

‘ 1 1 Confusion burst upon my path to dim 
The hope I treasured at my mother’s knee, 

My mind doth ramble and my hope is gone. 

No recompense doth offer to direct 
My wandering feet, which followed to the light 
And rhythmic flow of music warbled 
To my youth and to my eager heart. 

My speech doth fail and visage incomposed, 

I writhe in anger, then a deep revenge 
Doth seat itself upon my soul; 

I cannot understand, 0 God, the how or why! 

1 m doomed to grope and falter here and fail. 


52 


Daniel Faith. 


Methinks no worse confusion e’er confounds 
The soul of youth than when in residence 
Grim failure comes to live where hope abode. 
Let cry with me the hopeless ones of earth! 

I bow my head beneath high Heaven’s throne, 

I take the benediction from the hand 
Of fate—where wilt thou lead, 0 Fate? 

Lead thou me on! 0 guide 
Me in the world—of fate and providence!’ 
Thus finished Mr. Eloquence in broken words 
And with this mournful dirge. 

I spake to him concerning greater hope, 

I sang to him concerning Living Faith. 


CANTO XIV. 

Argument. 

IT1 here repeat somewhat I said to him: 

“Tis great delight to hear thy fluent words; 

I marvel at thy thought and prophecy; 

Thy dirge to youth has made me sad! 

Thy thought and mine concerning hope are twain 
I do not think of hope for mortal life alone, 

But hope is greater than our little minds 
Can comprehend; hope is high, eternal 
In its bind; brighter than the glow 
Of morning sun; higher than the liglit 
Before our eyes at noon, when Heaven seems 
To bend with mortal sight, so is the hope 
For which I live and yearn. I do not 
Droop mine eyes to voiceless dust 
For songs and light eternal, but higher 


Daniel Faith. 


53 


Do I lift mine eyes for Light, and Life, and Hope. 
I turn mine eyes to Heaven, God is there; 

I turn mine ears to Heaven for a sound 
From Life, from Hope, Eternity! 

God has not left us in the dust 
Without a trace of Heaven’s bliss. 

His will has formed the world in which we move, 

And live, and be! The traces of his will 
Are on the flowers, the valleys and the hills; 

The sound of God’s Eternity rings in our heart. 

“My hope is not of finite longings filled; 

But infinite, immortal in its glow; 

I follow where God’s hand doth point the way; 

I take the path wherein He gently leads. 

My soul doth long to soar its way to God— 

As He has formed me so He calls me home; 

I feel the infinite is leading me 
To higher than I’ve yet achieved. 

There is a flame that surges forth within my heart 
That lifts my footsteps o’er these little mounds 
Of trouble peering at my feet, and lo, 

I seem to rise with every morn in stouter hope. 

“Of faith I did not hear thee speak; 

0, hast thou lived a life in less degree 
Than faith affords for yearning men? 

The way of faith will never fail, 

If man will walk therein, and stars 
Of hope will bright appear as on you walk 
The way which God doth lead; no end 
There is in life, in Heaven ends this way. 

Around the throne of God doth angels sing 
Who followed in the path of Faith the light 
Which gently falls from Heaven to this mire 


54 


Daniel Faith. 


Now in we walk. Ambrosial as a food for heart 
This faith from Heaven is, a nectar sweet, 

A manna sent from God to fainting men, 

Whereof we eat and live. How high 
This way of faith doth hold the heart? 

As like the Ararat doth stately stand 
Above Mt. Hermon or Mt. Lebanon, 

Or Sinai’s height, or Nebo’s crested crags; 

So stands the man of faith above the faithless hearts 
’Mid which he lives and moves. 

Faith is the path whereon we walk from mortal fears, 
From grief and pain, to Heaven’s gate; 

Faitlh is the light that ever burns within our hearts; 

Faith is a witness for eternity 

Of God, and time, and man’s OAvn destiny; 

Faith leads us by unfailing strength to light, 

And holds us up when man would let us fall; 

It is a glow that sparkles in the night, 

And whispers, God is over all! 


CANTO XV. 

Argument. 

“Another I did meet in learning bold, 

When I had lived to fuller years, 

Who spake with learned flashes from his eyes, 

Of greatest thought in modern day. 

I heard his name from one who dared to speak 
With him concerning his philosophy— 

Mr. Wiseman was his name, of learning known 
Throughout the regions far around. 

I met him early as the sun did steal across 


Daniel Faith. 


55 


The eastern horizon to bear us forth a day. 

We met as face to face strangers meet, 

And we did greet in morning salutation. 

I ask of him to know the hour, 

He ceased his step to look and answer me— 

And further spake—and soon we did converse. 

He wished to know the purpose of my life, 

And of the journey then I did ensue. 

Forthwith I did reply: T’m on the path 
Where men may walk from earth to Heaven’s throne 
Of grace, to God, to Life; Fve set my hope on God 
And Heaven’s love, and so I walk and live!’” 

Anon He did reply: “ ‘ So much deceived 
I’ve never been before! I never thought 
That one in learning trained 
Would speak to men of Heaven. 

Be seated sir; your thinking I must change— 

Your mind has surely lost its poise 
In sympathy! How strange ! How sad 
To see a man in quest of light in search 
For Heaven. Thou art deluded man; 

I have some words for thee! 

Wilt thou hear the learning of our day ? ’ 

I answered: ‘Yea, speak on, I’ll hear thee out!’ 
And then he did reply: ‘ A song I ’ll sing 
To wisdom and to men of learning high. 

What unexpected joy hath come to earth 
Since wisdom bathed her wings these recent years 
And washed therefrom these mortal fears amain, 
And then in mighty flight she soared 
From east to west and from the north to south. 

Men saw her high illustrious flight, 

And quivered ’neath the crystal firmament 


56 


Daniel Faith. 


Of her celestial light and flaming path. 

In bright array few men have rallied forth 
To stand in armed battle for her light, 

Invincible in warfare ’gainst the foul 
And gloomy thinking of the past— 

Against tradition and its multitude 
Of errors, myths, and gods. 

Now Error grieves and sneakers off in shame; 

He droops as doth a morning flower 
In noonday’s sun; he envies every truth 
Which issues forth from Wisdom’s light. 

The greatest light that ever came to man 
Was Wisdom’s light; she breaks the long 
And dismal pages of the past; she slays 
At Error’s altar many gods of pomp, 

And strife, and enmity. She breaks 
The altars far and wide of Error’s 
Long unquestioned power, and men 
Are slowly giving back as light appears. 

The gods of war will die to war no more; 

The gods of hate will die in Wisdom’s light; 

The gods of wrath will empty up their vials, 

And languish, writhe and die. 

The priests of Error’s will disband themselves 
And see their kingdoms shatter with their fateful 
Doom, which Wisdom hath assigned through mighty 
power; 

And Wisdom’s kingdom will glory appertain 
In honor, since there’s honor due. 

“ ‘0, turn the pages of the years and look, 

Time’s history will of the record tell! 

Let Error speak with all his evidence; 

We’ll hear him out; we’ll walk with him 


Daniel Faith. 


57 


Across the years on history’s book and see 

What he hath done, what he hath wrought for men. 

Back, back, we’ll start where history starts! 

The scene doth open with the patriarchs 
And tribal life. What find we there? 

We find old Error’s hand higih lifted, 

And boldly on his throne doth reign. 

Error feeds on war and human sacrifice; 

He fills the world with hatred, pride and scorn; 
Religions he doth breed of various kind, 

To lead the mind in ignorance far amiss 
From truth and Wisdom’s path. 

Count the gods that Error gave to men: 

The gods of storms, and clouds, and winds, and night, 
The gods of dreams, and seas, and hills, and death; 
Such gods as Zeus, Minerva, Baal, 

And multitudes which time doth not permit 
Our story to recount. 

Now stand aside, each other, wars of men, 

Which Error bred with all these gods and see t 
H ow heinous has delusioned power been. 

Count the martyrs during Nero’s reign; 

Count the martyrs in the sunny land 
Of Spain, when from the Inquisition 
Huguenots were planted everywhere. 

The Duke de Guise, at Vassy in his wrath, 

Do not forget his bloody massacre. 

The reign of terror in the land of France: 

St. Germain and St. Bartholomew’s day. 

And all the blood that flowed from human veins 
In Holland, Scotland, England, Wales— 

O’er all the face of Europe in the hellish 
Days when dignity and pomp did sit enthroned, 


58 


Daniel Faith. 


Personified as Pope at Rome. 

How dark, how heinous is the scene! 

Atrocious as a Moslem in his thirst 
For blood of Christian men. 

Then number kings within your ireful list— 

The world has had its fill of Popes and kings! 

‘“But now the subject turns— 

IT1 say to thee an essay of my philosophy: 

Time how matchless in its course; 

Beginning there was none, there is no end; 

How can there be an end to that which ne’er begun? 
How infinite! you cannot count it in our years; 

A million years is only as a day— 

Tis so with time, there is no end. 

Time did sleep for trillion ages past, 

Because, beginning there was none. 

And in this sleep, and in the endless space 
Where time doth live, ago these planets formed, 
Thuswise: The boundless deep was darkness 
Everywhere; there was no sun, there was no moon, 
There were no stars, there was no substance even 
Formed in all the deep; but all was darkness 
Far, and wide, and high. And all did brood, 

For all with darkness broods! 

The nebula did dream in mighty dreams; 

It dreamed of power through this lonely night; 

It dreamed of planets that were light and real, 

Though nebula had not been formed— 

*Twas only embryonic in this night, 

Etherial in its substance, still it dreamed, 

And thought in dreaminess on these mighty things. 
With darkness, coolness comes; space was cold 
From highest height to deepest deep! 


Daniel Faith. 


59 


With this coldness everywhere there formed 
A noxious exhalation, which arose 
And hurled itself in endless space ; 

Clouds of gas did sweep in mighty force 

From place to place, and in their maddened flights, 

And in their clashing high, force began, 

And luminiferious ether thus was formed. 
Lightning flashes bounded o’er the deep 
As flames of gas arose in nebulus waves 
And swept across the vastness of the space. 

The stars do bear us witness to this day 

Of all this conflagration, nebula 

Doth hover in the infinite, the endless space, 

As multitudes of stars, numberless, 

As numberless as is the sand upon the banks 
Of rivers wide, or by the deepest seas. 

The firmaments did melt with fervent heat, 

And steam and gas did rush in mighty clouds 

To cooler space, and thus the planets 

All were formed! The earth on which we live 

Is but a planet small, and so the sun 

And moon and many stars are planets too. 

The moon was once a flaming mass 
Like the sun, but now she wears a coat 
Of ice, as did the earth in ages past, 

When glaciers covered all our land. 

The moon in magnitude is smaller far 
Than many times the earth on which we live; 

If the light of sun and planets near 
Can pierce the mountains deep of ice 
That cluster thick and heavy on tlhe moon, 
Perhaps, some day she ’ll be a world of life 
And vegetation, rivers, seas, and fish; 


60 


Daniel Faith. 


But lo, her magnitude so mighty is, 

She slumbers on in ice! 

The earth is youthful in its history 
Of oceans deep, and seas, and life, and man. 
As the sun doth gradually cool from heat, 

This incandescent glowing center formed, 

The days will longer grow upon this earth, 
Until a day will be in length a year. 

To judge our earth, a million years 
Is but a day in change of time, 

And many million years will come 
Before the sun will cool 
As hath the moon and earth/ 

* ‘He finished in this broken way 
His strange discourse, for as he spake 
Another joined our group whose name 
I heard and well did recollect, 

Because of sadness in his face and voice 
And in the very words that he did speak/ ’ 


CANTO XVI. 

Argument. 

“ Somewhat as follows spake he as he stood 
Before the wise philosopher: 

“ ‘I did not hear your argument in infancy, 
But of your theory I did* hear thee speak. 

I heard your story of the universe, 

As how that noxious exhalation did arise 
And hurl itself against the highest height, 

And clash in endless space until was formed 
A luminiferious ether. Not in accord I think! 


Daniel Faith. 


61 


‘‘ ‘ The earth on which we live, though vast 
It seems to us, is but a speck of matter small 
Within the vastness of this endless space. 

And emptiness is space, such emptiness 

As is our dreams and hopes, when man doth yearn 

And sigh for life beyond the grave! 

At intervals, so long and far between, 

Within this emptiness glowing centers form 
Of light and heat, and these we call the stars. 

All stars that shine at night doth move; 

They ramble in the vastness far between 
Each glowing center formed; they choose 
Their course and wander through the deep, 

As doth a sailing ship upon the seas at night, 

When pilot stands with chart and compass 
In his hand to guide their destiny. 

Their vastness unperceived 

Because of distance to our human eyes. 

Some are so far in distance from this earth, 

For all their great immensity, as points 
Of light they do appear when viewed 
Through powerful telescopes. 

Some, which we do nebulae call, as whirling clouds 
Of vapor shine; they are so far from earth 
That unperceived would be their movement 
Of a million miles. One star is near 
And like a ball of flame it ever shines, 

This star we call the sun; so near it is, 

When in comparison to other stars, 

We something of its nature understand. 

The science that teaches of the sun and stars 
And of the origin of earth and history, 

Teaches of the origin and life of man. 


62 


Daniel Faith. 


Vast ages gone, the sun did spin, 

A flaring mass of matter did it shine, 

Not yet a compast center did appear 
Of heat and light; and as it whirled, 

Fragments detached themselves, and planets made. 
One of these planets is the earth! 

In twain this earth did break when as a flaring mass 
It spun; the larger is the earth itself, 

The smaller is the moon. And then 
The sun and moon and earth did turn 
At faster speed, and shorter were the days 
Than now, even half or more. 

The sun, though incandescent now, 

Is cooler than it was, and now it spins 
More slowly than it did, and yet it cools. 

The time will come when days will be 
In length a year, because the days 
Will longer grow as the sun and earth 
Doth slower turn; then the cooling sun, 

Shorn of its beam of this wondrous light, 

Motionless will in the heavens hang. 

Ice will cover man and all the earth! 

There 11 be no morning sun as now 
To kiss away the night and heavy tears 
From the face of earth; no singing bird 
To sing its songs that fill our empty hearts; 

But days will toil across the gloomy earth 
Where once was man’s abode; no Jupiter 
To recollect the history we made 
In our vaunted pride and hopes and dreams;. 

But all this earth in endless night 
Will sleep, her trembling bosom wrapt, 

That once did life sustain, with mountainous ice. 


Daniel Faith . 


63 


“While the earth did swiftly turn 
In vaporous heat she was inanimate 
To living forms. While the ages rolled 
And wore away the eldest rocks did form, 

Before the rivers and the seas did touch 
The earth that glowed in liquid light. 

Long ages came before the earth did cool, 

From this maddened conflagration, 

Sufficiently for seas to make. 

The azoic period lasted long, 0 who can count ? 
Perchance a billion years; these days 
There were no seas nor oceans wide; 

But after formed the Fundamental Gneiss, 

As age by age this youthful world drew to a close 
The atmosphere of steam did gently fall, 

Condensing as it fell—so formed the seas. 

Into the seas the streams that rambled o ’er the hills, 
And ran new paths in cooling vales, and over rocks 
Did pour, brought with them dust and particles, 

And thus a sediment did form; a sediment 
In layers, strata called—in mountains seen today— 
The sedimentary rocks did form. 

Now count by million years the ages yet 
Before the sign of life appeared! 

The oceans keep the secrets of those years, 

But in the rocks are hidden signs of life: 

Age of Animalculae and Jelly fish— 

The Proterozoic period often called 
Among the scientists of this day. 

This age did last for many million years, 

While land did wrestle with the deepest seas 
For life and vegetation. 

The Palaeozoic period then did come. 


64 


Daniel Faith. 


In this period lowest life appeared: 

Fish, Amphibia, and the Forest wide, 

Valleys green, and swamps, and blooming flowers; 
And better signs for higher life to come. 

Now turn thine ej^es into another age 
And think again in mighty terms of years, 

Terms of millions if it please your will, 

The Mesozoic age at last has come. 

Reptiles filled the land and seas; 

About the earth did mighty monsters creep 
Unmolested by the hand and skill of man. 

All survived which was the strong, 

But all the weak did fail. 

Then as the time did wear away, 

As days in many years, Mammals came— 
Another age has dawned! Let sing 
With me ye earthly host of men, 

At last the Cainozoic age has come! 

This age has lasted through a million years 
Until this day. And now in brief 
Outline Fve traced the course 
Of many billion years, while in 
This latter period man did come 
To take his place in this universe. 

“ ‘Man, poor man, his origin 
Is hidden in the deep! Within these valleys 
Sleeps the dust of those from whence he came; 
Ancestrial truth is very much obscure 
To us who seek the proof of things, 

But in the desert wide or mountain deep 
There surely is a trace of evidence! 

He makes himself a god as need requires, 

And worships as his heart doth yearn and sigh; 


Daniel Faith. 


65 


He slumbers with traditions of the past, 
Accepting myths and legends for his light. 

He never sees the age in which he lives, 

He yearns for ages gone or for a future life; 

He makes philosophy to soothe his mind, 

And in his vaunted pride he rises high 
To fall in dreamless dust. 

Why have a god when many gods are made 
Of many men ? Many myths have made us gods! 
The world is sickened unto death and tired 
Of myths, so speak I of the gods! 

Men made their gods of sleep and gods of death, 
Gods of war and gods of love and peace, 

Gods of wrath, rivers, seas, and hills, 

Gods of sheol, and the universe. 

But let me speak in more consoling words; 

I see that thou art drooping in thy mind; 

Thy heart doth flow some weakened to its task— 
For this Fll add a newer balm: 

“ £ Let mortal men despise the hour wherein 
This universe did heave a trace of light, 

Because ’twas light that turned the mass 
Of darkness into unity; Twas light that hurled 
The planets forth ’mid endless space; 

’Twas light that made the seas conceive 
And bear fish, amphibia, and the creeping host, 
And all the rising forms of life from amoeba 
To man; and light doth change a chilled earth 
From winter’s death to summer’s heat, 

And all the beauty that with summer comes. 
Light and matter doth explain the universe! 

“ ‘Let Jupiter bow down his ears 
And hear what man must say of him! 


€6 


Daniel Faith. 


Let all his gods and tribes with open ears 
Bow down tfheir ears and hear and weep, 

For man has learned the secret of this universe! 
We no more need poor Jupiter to guide 
Us in this life for recompense we pay 
On bended knee; or at his throne, 

Or shrine, pour out our adoration 

To his tribal host that he may wisdom give. 

He and his kingly host have been dethroned! 

The mountains, rivers, seas, and hills, 

No more their secrets hide. 

The stars do bend before our eyes 
In sad (humility; yea, the sun and moon 
Now shed submissive beams. 

Man did toil his way through aged paths 
Wherein the feet of men did slowly move; 

There was no one to lift his heavy load; 

There was no one who dared to seek a newer path. 
Bon did keep the path wherein his father walked; 
Son did use the bow and arrow, or the staff 
His father used. The father knew 
And worshipped all the gods the son must know. 
How dismal is the thought! 

These ages robbed poor mortal man 
Of all his history and joy. 

Man dared not peep without the shell 
Wherein he lived, but soothed himself 
And lulled his mind to rest; 

And let the ages thus delude and hide 
The secrets now we hold and know. 

“ ‘Why are you still in glowing smile? 

The truth doth fail to sadden you! 

Fve freely given you of learning high; 


Daniel Faith. 


67 


I’ve told with ardent words the new found truth ; 
I’ve given all my thinking to thy mind; 

Now friend, thy story I will hear; 

Because I think that learning comes 
From man to man and mind to mind. 

If thou hast learning greater new or old, 

Or from the buried secrets of the past, 

I’ll bide with thee a student many hours, 

Until the last is told and thou art done/’ 

Thus finished Mr. Pessimism. 


CANTO XVII. 

Argument. 

“Forthwith I did reply: 

0 wonders of thy piercing mind! 

Such learning is to man as nectar sweet; 

It soothes him as the noonday lullabyes 
Of summer sun. It sounds as music sounds 
When from a skillful hand every chord doth fall 
In sweetest harmony, while mind doth leap 
And bound in highest ecstacy. 

My heart hath throbbed in rhythmic dialect 
To thy discourse, as doth respond 
A stringed instrument in vibrant sound 
To kindred chords or tones. 

But I must here confess before I further speak 
That thou hast told me nothing new. 

I’ve followed all the thinking of our day 
In the avenues and all the highways too: 

The mountain tops and valleys far below, 

The deepest seas with all their mysteries, 


68 


Daniel Faith. 


The host of stars and all they speak to man, 
Earth’s strata and its evidence. 

I’ve looked beneath man’s high exalted thrones 
To find the truth and error there. 

The holies of man’s heart and life 
And all the mystic chambers of his mind 
I turned beneath the sunlight of high reason’s 
Power, that I might see the truth and error there. 
I’ve worn away my youthful years in toiling 
Days and nights in man’s philosophy. 

I’ve thought with all the thinking minds of men 
I’ve given hearing to their arguments 
In fullest joy, with greatest care. 

I challenge you to name a thought 
With all your learned mind, 

The which my mind has failed to turn 
Within the rough. Perchance you finished 
In the artful melodies and harmonies of life, 
The higher touch—the artful craft and skill; 

No doubt the numerals form their proof 
More readily for truth before your hand. 

Thy mind has followed further in its course 
The volumed mass of science. 

Remember thou hast spoken masterly, 

But still unfinished in thy thought I see! 

So, further let us think. Let’s build thy world! 
I’ll venture further than thou darest speak: 
There is no unity within your universe! 

Thou sayest light and matter doth explain 
This universe; let’s see behind it all ? 

“A noxious exhalation did beget the light; 
Etherial substance was the given source 
From whence this light and matter came. 


Daniel Faith. 


69 


Thus your universe without a consciousness 
In mad explosions and disorder came. 

The flames rushed madly from the deepest depths 
To highest heights, to flee from chilly seas 
Of dark chaos, while wandering clouds 
Of nebula paced to and fro across the infinite 
To form the constellations great and bright. 

Now we name these constellations with our finite 
minds! 

Of the north we sing to Adromeda and the Aquila, 
And to the Wagoner, or Charioteer, 

The Herdsmen, and the Hunting dogs, 
Camelopardalis, and Coma Berenices, 

Draco and the Hercules. 

We see the planets of the heavens high 
And name them as they do appear. 

Let’s call upon the stars for evidence 
Of consciousness, or mighty will; 

Let’s call upon the seas of earth, 

This constellation where we live and be— 

We seek for purpose in your universe! 

We seek for unity in life of mortal men; 

We want the stars to move in unity. 

Cry out with me that unity be given— 

I’m building now with thee thy universe: 

“0 nebula, with thy gleam of light, 

Come hither, build this universe! 

Thou hast before thee untold things to do: 

Set forth thy light amid chaotic space, 

Build constellations everywhere, 

Thou hast no one to bid thee move or do. 

Send forth thy master workmen, light, 

Though he be dumb to feeling and intelligence, 


70 


Daniel Faith. 


He’ll set thy clouds in form and unity, 

He’ll scatter constellations far and wide, 

He’ll temper some with vaporous rains, 

Until the seas and hills are made. 

The seas will toil with thy great workman, light, 
Until the living creatures come. 

Cry out with me and call the living forms! 

Amphibia come, and come ye forest wide, 

Ye valleys green, and swamps, and blooming flowers. 
0, reptiles come and fill the land and sea— 

Upon the earth let mighty monsters creep 
Unmolested by the hand of man. 

Now, last of all, man, poor mortal man, 

Without intelligence, come take your place, 

The universe is done! 

“Ho Intelligence! where hast thou been? 

Thou damned and lazy brute, the universe is done! 
Thou comest now to take a place with mortal man. 
Where w r ast thou when the clouds of nebula 
Were dashing o’er unbounded space? 

Where wast thou when these constellations 
Took their present forms? 

Where wast thou when the earth on which we live 
Took its present place, and all the seas 
Were made and hills were formed? 

Where wast thou when this unity 

Did take its place? Why come ye now? 

So laggard thou hast been; 

The work is done, we have no need of thee. 

What can be done for these poor mortal men, 

Since thou hast been away so long? 

Thou comest now to take thy place with men 
And be a slave to all the universe. 


Daniel Faith. 


71 


Even nebula has greater power than thee; 

Even light can make a world more ordered. 

What care we now for thee, Intelligence, 

Since all is made and done? 

“Intelligence, if thou hadst had a part— 

Alone designed this world in which we live, 

And yearn, and sigh—what wonders it would be. 

’Tis strange that thou wert dumb 
When worlds were being made. 

Thou that harnessed up the lightenings of the earth; 
Thou that sayest to the seas, I ’ll ride your waves; 
Thou that conquers everywhere thou goest; 

And beareth forth for earth these new designs; 
Thou that sayest to space, obey my will; 

And flash from pole to pole thy mind’s decree; 

Where wast thou when these worlds were being made ? 
“O Intelligence, 

We weep, we bow our hearts in sad humility; 

Wert thou away in sad obscurity 
When man did need thee so? 

How shall we now behold thy face with joy? 

The sun, the master workman, smiles at thee; 

The constellations, far and wide, are twinkling, 
Triumphant, in their joy; 

They laugh to scorn thy dumbness, 

And thy mighty will, thy very being. 

What powers passed when thou wert gone ? 

Thou that should be master now a slave; 

I know not whence possessed thee! 

Perchance the chaos lulled thee into rest, 

Or didst thou form a little universe 

And there abide, forgetting all the mighty need 

Of thee; or didst thou cast the seas 


72 


Daniel Faith. 


Of luminiferious ether forth to war, 

And on thy little universe calm thyself 
At all the wondrous sight? 

No doubt the flames did rush in mighty furor, 

While boisterous waves did roll like wildest seas, 
When clouds do seem to choose the sea for war, 

And thunders clapped such like as never heard— 

0 what a glorious sigfat for eyes to see! 

Waves of light did rush at dark chaos, 

And thou didst see from off thy universe 
The ends of infinite. But lo, 

"While thou wast gone, 0 Will, 

0 High Intelligence, this universe, 

Where man doth live and move and be, 

Was made. Now hast thou come 

To take thy place in human mind? Or started forth 

Through man to conquer all the lost? 

I see that man is climbing through thy will; 

The heavens bend to let him see their mysteries; 

All secrets pay obeisance at his coming forth. 

Canst thou conquer all the lost through mortal man ? 

c ‘0 will, 0 High Intelligence, 

Whence did thou come? Was thine abode 
Within The seas or mountains high? 

Or didst thou come from off some universe 
Surpassing this in knowledge and in beauty ? 

We yearn to know whence thou didst come 
To make abode with man. Kinsmanship 
We gladly claim with thee of all thy qualities: 

Of will, of reason, and thine intelligence. 

Man thinks a thought and action gives it birth. 

The mind may see an army marching on the field 
Of battle to a victory; or a temple rising on 


Daniel Faith. 


73 


Some lofty mountain top; or the mountains 
Opening forth to give the rightaway 
To long and speeding trains. 

How wondrous is the human mind! 

’Tis much akin to thee, 0 High Intelligence. 

'‘Though mortal men we be, 

Our minds are peering into every mystery. 
We peep behind the shells of traditions walls; 
We prowl the aged shelves of ancient lore; 

We prowl the mountain sides and valleys deep; 
In quest of one great mystery. 

The mystery may plainer be when found— 
Or is it past the knowing of our mind? 

Let’s venture forth in quest to see. 

.Ahoy! we shout, come hither all ye men, 

Ye men of earth, who dare an errand go, 

An errand bold, and one to challenge hearts 
Of boldest men, with minds well mental poised. 
Speak boldly where ye be, the one with answer 
To this mystery; speak fearlessly, be brave; 
When thou hast found the answer cry, 

It’s done, ’tis done, ’tis done, I see! 

Ye men of every tongue, of all the land, 

Go forth to find this mystery. 

Use all your ear to hear and all your eye 
To see, and look with courage everywhere. 
Perchance this mystery has been well known, 
But men forget you see; so go ye forth. 

If you find, arise and make it known, 

And speak the things you found 
And heard and saw, that all may know 
This aged mystery. Remember too, 

As go ye forth, that men will not believe, 


74 


Daniel Faith . 


Unless ye come with fake and foolish proof. 

Go forth and think some foolish thought in mind, 
Arise and speak it, and you will hear men say, 
"Well done, ’tis good that he has found!’ 

But those who come with truth will not receive 
Exalted seats and wild applause; 

Perhaps your age will never know 

That you had lived, and thought, and known 

Earth’s mysteries. But further this, 

And then I bid thee go and find 
An answer to this mystery; 

Remember all your aged sirs, who thought, 

Have tried an answer to our mystery; 

But we will go anew to seek and find. 

The word I have to say is this: 

Find out why mortal man has reason, 

Will, and high intelligence! 

“Go think with Plato; 

Let him think with thee; and listen thou 
To all his reason in its rhythmic sound; 

Walk with him, dream with him, and yearn 
As he did yearn to know the secrets of this universe. 
Look thou into the oceans deep of love 
And charity, and for their merit seek. 

Give thou thine heart a fill of reason’s power; 

Your soul will rest when you in triumph win. 

Spend a time with Swedenborg to hear 
His mystic songs and thinking told. 

Be not dismayed to 'hear him sing 
Of generations in his mystic song. 

Nature iterates herself perpetually, 

Yea, self-similar always is. 

We are adapted to infinity, and nothing lova 


Daniel Faith. 


75 


That hath an end. Creative force doth oft 
Repeat itself in higher form, as doth ascend 
The tonic scale to higher vibrant tones. 

“Then hear the poets speak, 

And hear the singers sing hearts rhythmic songs, 
And listen to the waves of harmony that falls 
From master hands of those who know 
The art of melodies; Twill give renewed 
Perceptive power to mind and heart, 

And strengthen thee in reason for thy plight. 
Listen to the unfeigned hallelujahs ring 
From mountain tops and from each rising wind; 
The melodies do rise in rhythmic sound 
To die away in Heaven's canopy. 

Let music bring to thee eternal charm; 

’Twill kindle all the ecstacies within thy soul; 
'Twill lull a weary heart to peace and rest. 

Walk with poets o'er the mountain trails; 

Hear the language that the poet hears; 

Read the writings on the barren hills; 

See the soul of nature in the flowers. ’ ’ 


CANTO XVIII. 

Argument. 

“ Therewith one did reply, 

Who joined our company to hear the argument— 
The best I do recall he was an aged man. 

His body trembled 'neath the weight of years; 
His eyes were some bedimmed; his shoulders 
Drooped as witness to the years he lived. 

And thus he did reply: 


76 


Daniel Faith. 


“I’ve heard your lengthy argument 
As propounded by you three. 

’Tis nothing true Fve heard you say! 

Full many years I ’ve lived; 

Fve seen man rise, and change, and fall. 

Fve heard the murmuring of the tender babe 
While at its mother’s breast; 

I’ve seen that child grow into life, 

And strength, and wisdom, as pertains to man. 

Such wisdom I have often heard from men 
As this I’ve heard today. ’Tis nothing strange, 

The fault is not within yourselves: 

All men who speculate as to their being 
Come to think as you, and controvert 
As to the given cause. 

Man knoweth little in this universe; 

Cast your mind about and think and see. 

0, could you know the experience of a day 
Your wisdom would surpass all thinking men. 

This morning yonder sun arose some way, some how; 
No one doth know, there is no one to tell; 

And as a step for thee a million miles is in its flight. 
How this earth doth spin no one doth know. 

The oceans have their secrets of this day, 

They have their hidden secrets, yea, eternally; 

They have their depth where eye hath never seen; 
They have their treasures and they have their dead. 
That hill which yonder doth arise, 

Who’ll tell me all its secrets? 

What hath it buried in its bosom there, 

0, who will read its heart to me? 

Tell me if it has a treasure hidden there, 

Or has it gold from out the sight of man? 


Daniel Faith. 


77 


‘‘Look to the infinite! 

Who will prophesy to me? 

Yon cloud doth come, 0 who will tell me why? 
She brings her heavy burdens on the air; 

She groans and wails, listen to her sighs— 

0 tell me whence she came, or why? 

Hath the yearning of the thirsty earth 
Called her forth. Answer me, 

Ye men of learning great! 

I say that now whereon thou standst 
A foot of earth thou canst not explain. 

Who dareth wisdom speak? 

A man is as a speck of chance 
Amid a destiny of fate. 

Life’s a riddle to ye thinking men, 

And here you waste your time to wisdom speak. 
Call all the trees to bow before your face, 

And pay obeisance to illustrious minds— 

Ah, see them tremble at your countenance, 

Or is that from the blowing wind? 

Where is your wisdom, 0 ye little gods? 

Ah-ha! I laugh to see the flashes from your eyes; 
I’ve often heard such wisdom from such men; 
I’ve heard the wisest speak, but still I smile 
To think what fools we mortals be. 

You see yon plant? Pluck it from the sod, 

And I will prophesy. 

“ ‘Come hither men and hear 
The high decrees of foolish wisdom speak: 

Man is as this tender plant within my hand; 

He cometh forth at morning, then the noon 
And night doth come; he passes on to dust again; 
There is no more of whence he went 


78 


Daniel Faith. 


Than whence he came; Fll tell thee whence he went. 
Dust is dust and nothing more; 

Air is air, -who dareth say that life it be? 

Man is dust and water, air and light; 

With all your chemistry, and even more, 

He hath his fine compounds. 

Cheer up and smile, why should you droop 
When age doth speak. 

Simple is the story I have told: 

Man is nearly nothing in this universe; 

Today he is, tomorrow, then never, never more! 
Alas, alas, Pve had my say.’ Thus spake 
The man to us whose name I learned was Infidel. 


CANTO XIX. 

Argument. 

“And I forthwith to them did thus reply: 
Sublime are words when with experience given. 
Great things and full of wonders to our minds, 
Far changed to these youthful thoughts of mine, 
Thou hast revealed what wonders mind may know. 
I stand untouched with many years that touched 
Thine aged head, and wisdom is thy food; 

But knowledge is the food whereby we grow— 

I hunger for the crumbs and all the bread 
That falleth from the table of these ripened minds. 
But still a further word I long to say 
Concerning the inaccessible and high, 

Yea, the bliss of Heaven if I dare so speak, 

How wondrous ’tis that man can think. 

No greater gift could Heaven give, 


Daniel Faith. 


79 


No greater power should man desire. 

Yet far and greater doth appear. 

It seems that mind must fuller grow, 

For mind is kinsman to eternity. 

Did you ever 'watch the little spring 
As it from out the mountain creeps? 

It warbles in its course, the smallest drift 
Will change it from its way; 

It falleth to the valley far below, 

And there doth join a more determined stream. 
That floweth on to rivers wide; 

And then the river heavy laden bears 
It on to sea; and here ’tis lost, 

’Tis lost in mightiness. ’Tis so 

With mind! Man was plunged in ages past 

Amid a universe to learn and understand. 

The chart that man possessed was intellect, 

And compass was his mind. They, given 
Him to know and to command; and forth 
In conquest he has gone, and so he goes today. 

<f The secrets which have been 
Are giving way and man is climbing back 
To God, who conquers all. While every merit 
And all good doth climb on wings to Him. 

Every conquest beareth man another round 
Toward man’s triumph o’er the universe. 

Reason leadeth man to higher planes; 

Every truth doth gradually ascend; 

While Heaven sends a call for man to overcome. 
Estuaries break from Heaven’s throne of grace 
Flooding hearts that feel but cannot understand. 

‘‘Let sound the echoes o’er the deep. 

I’ll sing my thinking freely unto thee, 


80 


Daniel Faith. 


If thou wilt hear and give my soul its w r ay. 

The years may bear upon us soon from out the bounds 
Of human sight, the days may usher in eternities ;> 
But ever sounds from Heaven richest harmonies; 

We may not hear the echoes or the melodies; 

But hearts are tuned to vibrate to these holy sounds. 
Me thinks the Heavens whisper peacefully; 

Me thinks they call thee hither, come! 

Me thinks there be a glow in human hearts 
Which none can comprehend. Is this a trace 
Of God’s intelligence and mighty will? 

We speak so lightly of a universe. 

What doth, 0 man, a universe compose? 

Reviewing this will glorify our argument. 

“ First, thou sayest matter covered all 
The deepest deep, the infinite. 

A noxious exhalation or compound, 

Or luminiferious ether sweeping forth 
From wall to wall of all the infinite 
Did beget this matter in its infancy. 

“Then, thou sayest force with matter came. 

A luminiferious ether breaks with light; 

No doubt that such did hurl itself 
In terriffic clouds against the high 
And unseen canopies of unmade heavens. 

“Again, thou sayest motion. 

Motion was inevitable. The deepest walls 
Of all the boundless deep did writhe 
And groan with all the force and motion 
'If the rushing clouds of nebula. 

Such sight the mind can never comprehend; 

’Twas far too much for mortal eye to see. 

How the welkins of the highest infinite did ring; 


Daniel Faith. 


81 


How the echoes did rebound from height to depth, 
Man shall never know. 

“But lo, we have no universe! 

Unity, where cometh unity? 

Shall you build a universe with all 

Your knowledge now of science 

Without as much intelligence at first as last? 

Mind doth lead man on to answer this. 

When man doth will to speak across the earth, 

Or fly across the seas, or ride the stormy waves, 
What doth the natural forces say? 

What is the answer to man’s searching mind 
As on he goes to conquer every force? 

Every law doth bow before the human will 
And all the secrets open of the universe. 
Intelligence doth father all designs, 

And every law and cause. 

Intelligence doth father unity 
And every natural law. 

That which creates intelligence today 
Would thus create the same a billion years ago. 

That which maketh man today, and mind, and will, 
Is nothing new; but aged as eternity. 

Invironment, perchance you plead! 

Invironment in all degrees according to 
Conditions given, doth leave a print on life; 

But never doth it change phenomenon. 
Invironment is fathered by intelligence. 

Create a world for fish, amphibia, 

And the creeping host, and such will come; 
Create a world for mammals, trees, and flowers, 

And such will issue forth; 

Create a world for highest form of life, 


82 


Daniel Faith. 


Mortal man, and man will issue forth. 

Create a world for reason, will, perfect life, 

And high intelligence, and all these powers issue 
forth. 

Create a heaven, high intelligence, with all eternal 
laws, 

And God will issue forth! 

The universe is as a mirror, how e’er you look 
There appeareth God. Travel any angle 
That you may it leadeth you to God. 

Life is a phenomenon varying 
In high and low degrees. 

The universe hath eternal laws; 

Intelligence doth rule them all. 

Intelligence doth order bring; 

The universe testifies to order everywhere. 

Laws of which we little dream but find 
As on we march in conquest every day. 

You have no unity without intelligence; 

Matter doth repeat itself eternally; 

Inorganic compounds produce 

Material laws according to their substance, 

And every cause alike repeats the same effect. 
Intelligence doth rule and conquer all, 

And is the highest law of unity; 

And as electric waves eternally abide, 

So doth abide intelligence, and wisdom high, 

The highest of all laws. 

That which creates intellignece today 
Was true a trillion ages past; 

Phenomenon of life is e’er the same— 

Like cause will e’er the same effect produce. 

“Mortal man, whose heavy heart 


Daniel Faith. 


83 


Is persecuted more, and laden more, 

When it is nighing to the fateful sounds 
And groanings of down hearted men, 

Who walk the earth from day to day 
With eyes turned down, awake! 

There is an inspiration calling you. 

The seas of life are sending out 

Their message to your soul; and thou 

Who livest in the deep ere long 

Will be a conquerer. Justice will be done 

When thou hast come to know, 0 man, 

The hows and whys. Life doth move its way, 

As climbs a gleam of light at dark of night 
Toward the mountain top, and overcomes 
Eternal enemies; the such as superstition 
And her multitudes, delusions, and the dread of 
years. 

The powers soon of darkness will be bound, 

And man will know the life 
That God purposed he live. 

‘'Admiration falls from heaven’s door 
To man who overcomes. And man, though made 
Of flesh, is made eternally. 

The breath he breathes and life 

Doth quietly steal from out the boundless deep, 

And in the depths and heights of life 

God doth dwell in mightiness. 

Man is nearest God who thinks aright; 

Man is farthest off who error thinks. 

Some men declare to think who stand 
Deluded on some beaten trail, where men 
Have wabbled for the ages past. 

For such multitude a thought would be 


84 


Daniel Faith. 


As is a lightning stroke before a thunderous sound. 
Other men, who boast, declare themselves to think 
When they have caught a gleam of what they think 
A truth, but have not proved. 

Thinking is an art that only few will learn! 

See the whole of things for evidence; 

See the whole of things as God hath planned; 

See the whole of things, be not afraid 
That God will smite you down. 

See things as they might have been, 

Or could have been. And never fear 
As treadest thou on some new trail. 

God doth never grieve for man who thinks, 

For thinking is of God. 

God is greater than all truth, 

The source and first of everything! 

Thinking moves the hand of time, 

And lifts the heavy feet of men 
A little nearer heaven’s gate. 

Thinking is the secret of the universe! 

Thinking only comes to men who dare 
To see the whole of things. 

Thinking is the holy road to truth, 

And truth is fulness of the universe: 

Truth is all of everything! 


Daniel Faith. 


85 


CANTO XX. 

Argument. 

tl Ascending by degrees resplendent 
In his holy task, and as on errand new, 

The feet of man do climb the aged walls 
Of truth where God abides. 

O weep ye mortal men in silent agony, 

So long poor man has wandered in the wilderness. 
The host of Israel wandered forty years 
Because they failed in courage for their task; 

How bitter must their time have passed away! 

But man has wandered all these toilsome years 
Without a knowledge of his living, 

Or the universe in which he lived. 

Embellished rushed a cloud of fears 
With gleaming rays of wrath 
To weaken man and send him down 
To live and die in dust. 

His songs betray his little joys 
And mighty fears. 

‘ 'Truth has sent her rivers 
Bushing forth to quench the thirst of men; 

But men have feared to drink lest they should die. 
All ages tell the sad calamity: 

The failures of the little thoughts of men 
To know the truth of all eternity. 

0, let the dead stand forth and weep with me! 

All nations come and all ye mortal men, 

Ye great and small, ye men of high degree, 

Ye men of old, ye men of every land; 

Why hast thou failed to know the truth ? 


86 


Daniel Faith. 


I live and so must pass as thou didst go, 

As thou didst fail, so faileth I. 

And yet immortal truth has her balm 
To touch the lips of men that they may live. 

I would that I could at thy fountain drink 
The fulness of the long eternities, 

That I might tell my living unto men 
Who thirst and hunger here. 

0 Truth, there is no less of thee 
Than in the aged days of long ago; 

Man has little had his fill 
Of thine eternal calm. 

Awakened from the deep, man slumbers on; 
When life doth break before his childish eye 
He takes it all as play; 

He roves in fancy of his youth, perchance, 

Till life has passed away. 

“Truth hath her fountains flowing everywhere. 
The sun at morn doth bear his evidence anew 
That Truth hath reigned eternally; 

The moon and stars do ever shine 
In witness of the same. 

The seasons come and go in ordered 
Unity, as if the truth anew had come. 

Truth’s fountains twinkle near 
The feet of man, along the path 
Whereon he walks, and everywhere. 

Nothing’s hid within this universe, 

But all is open unto man who goeth forth 
To conquer and to know. 

Above the barren path whereon man walks 
A high injunction sounds eternally: 

‘Go forth and have dominion o’er the earth!’ 


Daniel Faith. 


87 


But man somehow has never heard or known 
What meaneth this. Somehow, 

The eyes of man are dim, he cannot see, 

He cannot understand, he cannot hear 
The clearness of the call to conquer all. 

’Tis better far, saith he, to eat, 

And drink, and die\ Ho, man awake, 

Eternities do call; they loudly sound! 

But man, thou art not far from angels high 
In wisdom which belongs to thee, 

If thou wilt boldly go and claim thine own. 

“0 Truth! We bring our trophies now to thee; 
Thou art the high archangel of our hope. 

0 bow thine head a little, let us crown 
Thee once that all may know and see 
The light of thy domain. 

We do not come to burn an incense sweet 
To turn thy head toward our little minds 
That we might catch a gleam of light 
That falleth from thy face; 

But, 0 we come, to build the mounds 
Beneath our feet some higher yet— 

How much? Alone thou knowest— 

That we may stand secure on knowledge 
And high reason’s power. 

Truth, thou art our hope eternally! 

Oft I’ve heard that men do prophesy 
Concerning thee; yea more, 1 ’ve learned 
That men do sacrifice on Error’s altars 
Everywhere and call their sacrifices truth! 

How sad it is to know that men will so believe 
And so deceive the masses of unthinking men. 

“0, turn your eyes with me to Error’s shrines, 


88 


Daniel Faith. 


And let us pass and hear their shoutings bursting 
forth. 

One saith, ‘I am the truth, so cease thy thought 
And pay obeisance unto me; the very will of God 
I know; 

I cannot think amiss, I am infallible, 

The Vicar of God’s Holy Son!’ 

Another saith, ‘0 come this way, for here is truth!’ 
Another saith, ‘Ho ye men, ye mortal men, 

Come one and all for I have found the truth!’ 
While others crieth, ‘Here!’ Still others 
Crieth, ‘There!’ and all are crying, ‘Come, 0 come!” 
But none have found it all until they know 
The whole of God and all His universe. 

Man cannot alone with wisdom gain 

The heights to which his feet should press; 

But he must conquer with his hands as well as mind. 
The greatest yet he has to do is conquer self: 

The fears and foul delusions of his being. 

And death doth gnaw his way; he eats his path 
Across the human race. This fatal monster 
Man must overcome. Eternal Truth! 

We cry to thee to help us overcome 
The sting of death. We long to rise 
In triumph o’er our foes; 

We long to know the power of Thy might; 

And as Thou overcame, so teach us how, 

0 Lord of Host. 

“0 Truth, we long to know 
The fulness of this universe, 

We long to walk in light 
Where darkness we have feared; 

We long to see the fulness, Lord, 


Daniel Faith. 


89 


Of Thy holy bound, and know 

What thou hast given here for us to share. 

Help us to see the fulness of the light; 

Help us to know the fulness of all joy; 

And help us see the universe through 
More than darkened glass or mortal eye; 

Help us to see the universe through Truth. 

O Son of Light, Thou art the Truth! 

Eternal in Thy greatness and Thy love. 

We have not sought to understand Thy will; 
We’ve played with folly and its bitter gall; 
We’ve groped amid the dust and trash of things, 
Forgetting all that life doth have in store. 

We’ve spun our wise philosophies, 

Theologies in all our art; 

In saying every man in his own way 
How came the universe. 

0, God, the Author of Eternal Truth, 
Intelligence most high! 

First in life, first in light, 

First in wisdom’s power; 

First in hope, first in love, 

First eternity! Help us 
To rise from aged beaten paths. 

Help us to understand Thee more. 

The Avorid has failed to see Thee 
Through our crystalled creeds or church 
Domains, we’ve built our walls around 
The cross without the Christ; 

We’ve built our churches to our minds, 

With all our artful taste and mortal joy, 

In narrowness, impassioned by our lust— 

O God, hoAv heinous is the sight! 


90 


Daniel Faith. 


0 turn our eyes to nobler scenes 
As we forget in sad disgust. 

Let fall Thy benediction on our heads, 

Immerse us in Thy grace and boundless love. 

0, help us break from out our little shells 
And see the more of light and Heaven’s will. 

Our hearts are thirsty for eternity; 

We hear the quickening sounds within our ears 
Of better yet to be. 

We feel the surging of eternal powers 
Within our hearts; they seem to lift us up 
And whisper in our ears: ‘Overcome 
As I have overcome !’ What glorious hope! 

Our hearts do rise in triumph 
With their songs and melodies. 

The paths to Heaven rise before our eyes, 

And now again we’re on the path of FAITH. 

“0 God, our hearts do break with richer love 
Than e’re we had before. 

We’ve wandered through these mystic vales 
Of doubting mind; we’ve heard men sigh 
And groan; we’ve seen them rise and fall; 
We’ve heard the rhythm from their fainting hearts 
As voices failed and died away. 

’Tis better far to know Thee, Lord, 

When we have tried Thy promises; 

And now we come in wider thought 
And deeper truth, with fuller knowledge 
Of our universe. While mysteries 
Of life do break away, and more 
We see of Thine Intelligence. 

We’re understanding more how Christ, 

Of Galilee, did overcome environment. 


Daniel Faith. 


91 


He walked upon the waters of the sea; 
lie raised again death’s chilly forms to life; 

He fed the hungry souls of men, 

And healed the sick; He sent 
The lepers singing on their way. 

He knew eternal laws which man had never found. 
So much He knew of Truth and Life 
That Death he overcame; and in triumphant 
Joy He did proclaim the victory. 

“O Death, why didst thou let thy victor go? 
Couldst thou not hold Him 
As thou hast all men before? 

How mighty thou hast been! 

Kings, and potentates, and men of great renown, 
Have given up their thrones and fallen 
At thy call; men of noble heart and brave 
Have fallen slaves to thy great victory, 

And thou hast turned them back to dust. 

Why didst thou let this victor go? 

Hast thou some weakened in thy mighty will? 

Or hast thy aged secret lost its power? 

Rejoice ye men with me that Death 
Has lost his power. The lowly man, 

The mighty Son of God, has liberated men! 

He came to teach the truth that makes men free; 
He came to lead the way to life and light; 

He came that we might fuller live and know 
The greatness of our God and universe. 

He break the laws that turned us to the dust; 

He break the myths that made a god of gold; 

He taught us of a God to love and trust, 

And to the ranks of Life he led us to the fold! 


92 


Daniel Faith. 


CANTO XXL 
Argument. 

“Then I sang the Christian psalms, 

When we had finished our discourse, 

Before the strangers turned each man his way. 

IT1 here somewhat repeat the psalms I sang: 

“Ho, there is a fountain wide, 

’Tis wider far than all our seas, 

Where men may come and bathe their famished souls. 
Her waters calm our soul’s eternal thirst ; 

And seem to dry the anguish from our tears; 

Yea more, doth lift us on the path of years 
Where duty calls. And ’tis immortal light 
That rises from this fountain wide. 

Her vapors rise in peaceful plight, 

And seem to lift our quickened soul 
Toward our God Most High. 

This fountain wide, and high, and deep, 

Is the peace from God of Host. 

Her waters are as nectar sweet 
To mortal lips of men, and all who drink 
Shall never die. Her waters flow 
From all eternity, and move so gently 
That there are no rills or ripples to annoy 
The tired souls of men. 

This fountain has her healing balm. 

Ho, everyone who drinks shall live, shall never die. 
The aged shall renew their hope; 

Their dimmed eyes shall see a gleam of light; 

Their weary feet shall quicken to the sound 
That falls from heaven’s door; 

Their abated forms shall rise in power; 


Daniel Faith. 


93 


And in the glory of His majesty 
New songs shall fall from lips 
That once for God were dumb. 

The young shall come and drink, 

And melodies shall twinkle from their hearts, 

And words of joy shall rise from every lip 
In mighty concourse to their God Most High. 

“This fountain sends 

Her streamlets gushing forth to every heart. 

She washes from our longing hearts all fears, 

And peace doth come where once much fear abode. 
For every tear of sadness in our hearts 
This fountain leaves a spring of peace 
Eternal to our souls and hungry hearts. 

Her waters are eternal for our thirst— 

Ho, every one who will may come and drink and live! 

“Our God Most High! 

Infinite in power and eternal love, 

Great in wisdom and intelligence, 

Perfect in Thy knowledge and all attributes, 

Creator of the small and great, 

And life and light. 

Through wisdom Thou didst call the earth in unity; 
Thou didst call the stars to take their place; 

Thou didst set the universe in order through Thy will; 
Thou didst call the world from dark chaos to light; 
Thou didst stamp Thy image of intelligence 
In mortal man, and man doth now ascend 
To hold his high domain. 

“How glorious Thou infinite! 

Eternal of eternities; the first and last 
And cause of every thing. Thou whom 
Our mortal bodies glorify, 


94 


Daniel Faith. 


And whom our souls doth long to better know; 

We are a part of Thee. 

Our souls doth rise as like a jewel’s gleam 
When rays of light doth fall from noonday sun, 
Because, 0 God, Thou art the light 
That scatters wide our doubts and fears. 

Darkness flees before Thy countenance; 

And as Thy will doth melt our human hearts 
To one great chain of Thy intelligence 
We better see and fuller understand. 

With more creative wills than ours 
We understand how worlds were made and order 
given; 

How will did so direct with wondrous skill 
The great chaotic deep; 

How will did set the universe in groaning 
And travail, and inorganic substance 
Scatter far and wide; while everything 
Did take its place before Thy will’s decree, 

0 God, great- author of intelligence. 

Will did cause the universe to heave and sigh, 

And matter rushed as lightning streams 
At Thy decree, to depths or heights, 

Or width or breadth, 0 God, 

Where ere Thine eyes did so direct. 

“0 God, we’ve floundered in this fog 
And din of mortal fears, and will 
Has fallen prostrate at the feet 
Of small decrees and greedy gulls; 

But still we have enough of wall, 

Though untrained yet it be, 

To conquer all within our wide domain. 

This will we have is kindred to Thy will, 


Daniel Faith. 


95 


For everything doth pay obeisance 
To our coming forth. 

“Help men to see the whole of things. 

We famish in our narrowness and self conceit; 
All men are hungry for the living truth 
Throughout this world’s domain. 

Truth never robs Thee of Thy power, 

For Thou art greater far, 0 Lord, than truth. 
Thou art eternal and the source of truth. 

It does not mar Thy glory when we find 
A law in chemistry or other science, 

For Thou art greater than all law. 

Men look too much to dust to find the source 
Of life and cause; when they have done; 

When every grain of sand they’ve turned 
From sea to sea, and mountains overturned, 

And ancient cities lifted from their hidden beds, 
In ancient lands; when deserts wide 
And forest depths they’ve searched; 

When seas have laid their bosoms bare; 

When all the earth hath shown her heart to men; 
Then men will say, ‘There’s yet some other way, 
A greater cause than yet we’ve found, 

Some cause behind all law and everything!’ 

This cause is God’s intelligence and will. 

“Glorious and wondrous to behold 
Will be the joy of men when they have found 
The fulness of all truth and knowledge 
Of Thy mighty will, 0 GOD. 

The songs will break with tears of joy 
From every heart, and springs that once 
Did flow with grievious tears will be no more; 
But men will sing, ‘How great is God, 


96 


Daniel Faith. 


How mighty in intelligence. 

How wondrous ’tis that He would give 
A world Himself in part in His intelligence/ 
“Almighty Father, shrined in Heaven’s love, 

Thou thinkest on the sum of things ; 

Eternities are but a day with Thee. 

Our lives are but a little grain of sand 
That lies along the deep unfathomed sea, 

Where winds may come from east or west, 

Or whence they may, and leave but slightest trace 
Of where we dwelt. But in Thy providence 
The world is so designed that nothing’s lost. 

The universe is such in vibrant thrills 
And wondrous unity that even when the sparrow falls 
Thou knowest Lord. How wondrous is the great 
design! 

How vibrant is the universe. Sensitive, 

Such like as never dreamed or thought, 

Beyond experiment yet of all our science. 

We have, 0 God, within these recent years 
Unveiled some ancient mysteries. 

The radio, within its infancy, doth testify 
That man hath moved a forward pace 
In Thy great mind’s decree to overcome. 

The earth doth slowly yield her secrets 
To man’s peering mind; while Thou, 

These many ages gone and now, 

Doth speak to man in high injunction, 

‘Go forth and conquer, overcome!’ 

Thou didst not bury wisdom in the human soul 
To die and smoulder in the dust of earth; 

But wisdom, Lord, is like high radium’s power, 

And lives and burns eternally. 


Daniel Faith. 


97 


Man cannot bury wisdom in the dust, 
Somewhere ’twill out, sometime ’twill rise 
With mighty force and find its way to God; 
Oftime it hurls itself with great terrific force 
From out the din and fog of earth 
To wend its way on eagle wings to God. 

The earth doth hear the thunders of the crash, 
While Error groans and sighs and falls, 
Plunging prostrate on the hearts of men 
He pleads for mercy and for sympathy, 

At last arising to renew his strength 
With men of low and high degree 
Who dare to think. 

"It is not thinking 
That doth hold us in the arms of dust, 
Entombing vision in the voiceless ground, 

And sending lives of men back to the earth— 

‘ Of dust to dust return.’ 

For life is that immortal germ, 

Of which the universe is filled, 

Above organic laws or power, 

And life to life returns. 

See the whole of things as God hath planned; 

A little law is not the whole of things, 

But as a spectrum from the beam of light. 

“Teach us Lord, the fulness of all things, 
Teach us in Thy truth and mightiness; 
Enlarge man’s vision of Thy wondrous works; 
Let Heaven shine in all her bright array, 
That earth may forthwith rise 
In greater likeness unto Thee. 

Supreme in mightiness and greatness far 
Beyond the comprehension of our mortal mind, 


98 


Daniel Faith. 


Thou art 0 Lord, the first and last, 

The highest hope, the fullest love. 

This earth is but a shadow of Thy mightiness, 

As is the shade that falleth neath man ’s feet 
When morning sun doth bright appear; 

But great, Jehovah, are Thy works! 

Infinite in power and intelligence. 

Who can impair Thee, mighty King, 

Or lay Thy kingdom low? To what avail 
For man will all this doubt achieve? 

’Twould better be, 0 God of Host, 

For man to rise and find Thee out; 

Learn the depths and wonders of Thy love, 

Learn the greatness of Thy providence, 

Learn the richness of Thy living grace, 

And wondrous joy Thy service brings. 

Thou dost repel man’s bold and proud attempts 
To lessen Thee, Almighty God. 

Man shall not wreck the infinite with finite mind; 
The smallest from Thy hands is greater far 
Than all his works or all his hopes. ” 

“ Thus finished my discourse, 

And up they rose, each man to go his way. 

They slowly walked as meditation filled 
Their hearts with some new thought. 

What profit all our controverting was, 

Our Heavenly Father only knows!” 


Daniel Faith. 


99 


CANTO XXII. 

Argument, 

Then Daniel Faith this admonition gave 
Before we turned each one our way: 

“By what is past, to thee I have revealed 
The strange discord which you will find with men. 
Only I have told in simple form 
Some arguments which every Christian meets. 

Be not afraid when men cry out in wild reproach 
Against the host of Heaven, or 'God’s throne, 

Or ’gainst God’s mighty power. 

Words of men are nothing more than dust, 

And fall when spoken into emptiness, 

Unless they’re filled with truth— 

Yea, truth is all that lives to stand 

The wild reproach and greedy gulls of men. 

God’s on His throne, be not afraid! 

The thoughts of men can never change omnipotence; 
The will of man will fall in dismal night 
Unless it rises on the wings of Faith 
To Heaven’s throne of Grace. 

But God has given to His own to conquer all! 

As man doth conquer natural laws, ’mid which he 
lives, 

He must so rise and conquer doubt. 

Doubt destroys the inspiration of man’s heart; 

It turns his feet to dust to e’er remain, 

It turns his face from Heaven to the ground, 

It turns his mind from God to vainest hope, 

And leaves him lonely in the world to die. 

Doubt doth fling our reason to the ground, 


100 


Daniel Faith. 


As gores a bull his victim in his rage; 

And man alone without his reasoning power 
Is lost in chaos ne ’er to find his way. 

Doubt doth say to man, “There is no God!” 
Discrediting all laws of Wisdom’s power, 

And every law of life and man’s intelligence, 

And the world in all its unity. 

1 ‘Truth will stand the brightest glow of light; 
Be not afraid that truth shall ever fail. 

All the false must with all error fall, 

All the vain must with delusion die; 

But truth will rise and grow eternally. 

‘ Remember as thou goest on thine way 
That men who go to God must walk 
The path of Faith, and not by mortal sight. 

All earth’s pathways lead us in the dark, 

And not the way to light and God. Yea more, 
That earthly wisdom is but dim, 

Because we see God’s world through mortal eye— 
We see as through a window dark 
Of dust and smoke amid this humble vale. 

The way of faith is not a way of sight— 

God’s hand must gently point the way. 

We see His writing strewn along our path, 

On hills and trees, and in the springtime shower, 
The seas and rivers, and the valleys wide— 

All speak the glory of omnipotence! 

This universal order, and the years 
That turn the seasons back unto their day, 

Cry out in long united joy 
That God is over all. 

We see God’s finger prints upon man’s face, 

The yearning heart, the reaching out for light, 


Daniel Faith. 


101 


The songs man sings, the thinking of his mind; 

His very will betrays the infinite. 

“Along the path of Faith there is a sign, 

Which readeth, ‘Everything you see 

God’s will has made! The planets and the stars 

Of Heaven, the valleys and snow crested hills, 

The rivers and the deepest seas—God’s will 
Has made them all!’ And man with mortal mind 
And with immortal soul was shapen 
In the image of his maker—God!” 

Thus finished Daniel Faith, and as he turned 
With glowing face on Heaven’s way 
I heard him singing sonnets joyfully, 

Ringing cheerfully from a buoyant heart— 

And these I heard and well do recollect, 

While others rose so distant in their sound 
I could not hear, they gently died away: 

“Wisdom cries forsaken, aged, destitute, 

Weary in her aged wandering, 

Pleading for all men of bold repute 
To turn her way their traveling— 

To turn her way their aged famished eyes, 

Their hopeless hearts downbeaten in their quest,— 
For wisdom’s path reveals a paradise 
Where men may know high heaven’s grand behest. 
Men may know what seems these mysteries: 

High knowledge which doth seem to flee their reach, 
And more of God and rich eternities, 

And all of Truth which God doth surely teach. 

Yea, more of love eternal, Heaven’s benign, 

And more of life, and Truth’s eternal reign! 


102 


Daniel Faith. 


“This world is not a fortuitous chance, 
Fortunity is none of mind’s own light; 

But Wisdom doth of Wisdom’s own enhance 
Mind’s unity, which is of Wisdom’s might. 

The stars did issue forth when Will decreed, 

And seas, and land, and lights, did take their place, 
While nebula did rush with lightning speed 
From deepest deep to heaven’s highest face. 

Great Will did rise to crown all unity, 

Such mighty host as eyes have never seen; 

And Will did crown himself divinity, 

While Intellect was crowned fore’er as queen. 

So Heaven high and planets great and small 
Did take their given place when Will did call!” 




















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